Shortly after marrying Charles Bovary, they were invited to a party held by a Marquis and Emma gets a sweet taste of the opulent, luxurious and easy life of the upper class. She realises she has met her downfall and loses life in her young 14 year old mind, so Charles moves her from the countryside to a larger town thinking it may do her good. She meets so many people, among them a young man named Leon Depuis, and the local pharmacist, monsieur Homais.
Leon and Emma both feel a wave of some sentiments pass between them but they never truly address them. After Emma has her daughter, Berthe, they become even closer and learn they are in love, but again they are too coy and timid to say anything. He moves along with his life and to Paris. and she returns to her depressed self.
However, Emma meets yet another handsome Bachelor by the name of Rodolphe. He has a way with women and it doesn't take a lot of convincing for Emma to become his net mistress. They have an ongoing relationship for a long while. She falls for him so bad, she starts making eloping plans with him. Rodolphe eventually got bored with her and when he heard of her plans he knew it was time he let her go, the morning of the elopement and through a letter he didn't even deliver himself, what an arse!
All this happens while she was making purchases from a local merchant, buying the best coats and luggage. She doesn't pay the costs fully and, in accordance, the Bovarys falls into debt.
She falls back again into depression and monsieur Homais suggests for them to go to the theatre in Rouen. They do and it lifts her spirits up again to think she might have one night of living like the opulent. But what are the chances of running into Leon again! And so they do. As the Bovarys talk to him, they learn that he is done with his studies and has moved to Rouen. He is no linger timid and isn't afraid of letting Emma knows how he felt, or feels, about her. And so they throw themselves into a passionate, ardent relationship. She works her way round going back to that city over and over. However, the debts they owe become too large and too troublesome for them to handle. She tries to hide it from Charles by asking for loans, to no avail. She tried her neighbours, Leon and even Rodolphe. But everyone refuses. She outs herself under so much stress, she takes matter into her own hands and tricks monsieur Homais's son to give her arsenic. And so is the story of the young and restless, Madame Bovary, leading to her utter downfall. Things get even worse for Charles and Berthe after her death with finances. Charles is so in love with his dead wife, he refuses to sell any of her possessions. Berthe is sent to live with a poor aunt on a farm and ends up being a labourer.
What a tragic tale!
The story of economic dependence and the commodification of women, one cannot deny how horrid it must be to be Madame Bovary. She was essentially bought by Dr Charles Bovary, thinking she was moving to a social rank higher than hers only to learn she is strictly ordinary after the Marquis's party. Then to learn that her lovers did not entirely care for her and Rodolphe was ready to pay her loans if she would sleep with him one more time. Her suicide redeems much more understandable when you think of it this way.
Even though it was translated from French, one cannot deny the lyrical beauty of the writing of Flaubert. He created his own style and rhythm. It was so clear he tried to avoid clichés and opted for creative, indulgent and captivating writing. It was such an enjoyable read and definitely deserving of a re-read in the future. There is a novel titles Madame Bovary's Daughter, as you might guess, about Berthe's life on the farm as she is older. She learns she came from a wealthy family who went bankrupt and that's all I know! I will definitely be checking it out, although it wasn't written by Flaubert but rather it was published in 2011.
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