Madame Bovary

I want to talk about how I view Emma in Madame Bovary and what I would do if I were her. According to the theory of love, a consummate love requires three elements. And passion is the one lacks in Emma’s marriage. To be honest, I can understand why Emma contemplates adultery since during that era women got too many restrictions, they could only live their life at home and rely on their husbands. I couldn’t imagine how boring it could be to live that kind of life. Besides, people regard bourgeois women as the property of their fathers or husbands. By contemplating adultery, Emma not only feels the sense of being loved but also feels that she is an individual needed by others, which are very attracting to her.

Although I pitied Emma for not having the life she wants and admire her courage for risking all for love, I still have to say that she treats Charles unfair. Emma despises Charles because he doesn’t fit her image of an ideal husband. She denies him only because of her stereotypical thought, and never gives him a chance to understand her thoroughly. I believe that if she talks to her husband about her thought, he will try his best to fulfill her needs. In my opinion, a successful marriage requires communication and consideration, besides, both sides must devote to the relationship. And these are what Emma fails to do.

So here comes the question: what would I do if I were Madame Bovary? I would try to share my feelings with Charles rather than passively deal with our relationship. If he is willing to change for me, I’ll give him a chance and try to accept him even if he fails at the end. On the other hand, if he didn’t show any effort after I speak up, I will take contemplating adultery into consideration and find the ideal lover with all of the three elements rather than only passion. But, luckily, when we encounter the same situation with Emma nowadays, we can simply get divorced and find another Mr. or Ms. Right.