One Powerful Scene in Madame Bovary
The novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert has many lessons hidden
in seemingly ordinary dialogue, or scenes in the text. One of the most
memorable and powerful passages contains what is a veritable moral of the
novel. In the last third of the book, Emma Bovary's life goes on a rapid
downward spiral, and in one significant scene, she reflects on her life,
past, and what she has learned from her affairs. One line strikes the
reader: "everything was a lie!" This avowal can be applied to many
different situations in the novel, and can be said to be the chief lesson
Flaubert wishes to incorporate.
In this passage, Emma remembers her past, a time when she was more
innocent and perhaps less preoccupied with her troubles. She remembers her
time in the convent as a young girl-a time when she was happy and
passionate about life, for awhile. Then she grew bored with the ordinary
life of a student in a convent, and the stories of love and passion called
to her more than ever.
She remembers how she had longed for the love affairs that she had
read about in her romance novels, and how she had imagined her future. She
recalls how her imagination had carried her away into the depths of the
story; perhaps it is her imagination that is at fault for implanting these
ideas in her head. Life certainly has not turned out the way she dreamed.
Next, she remember the few precious moments in her life: the
waltzes, lovers, etc. She then decides that she was never happy. Even
though Emma has just listed several of the most happy moments in her life,
she feels that life is simply not satisfying.
The tone throughout this passage conveys what Emma feels-betrayal,
sadness, and anger. These three tones are very important throughout the
novel. Also, the sentiments she expresses are ironic-she recognizes that
her dreams will never come true, and yet she clings to them. In the end
though Flaubert expresses his cynical outlook, which Emma shares: "each
smile hid a yawn of boredom..." Emma also ponders why she feels that
everything she touches turns to dust.
Next, she imagines the man of her dreams, and not surprisingly, he
resembles her string of lovers. However, a mere mortal is still not good
enough, and besides, she thinks her dream will never happen. Perhaps she
should have learned that by now. But she still retains her fantasies, which
is not a crime in itself. The problem is that her dreams are unattainable,
impossible and futile.
One of Flaubert's most profound assertions in the entire book is
the line "everything was a lie!" Although this sentiment may not be true,
it certainly seems plausible and quite conceivable, especially from Emma's
point of view. This is definitely a worthy moral. Although most readers
would usually like to believe that they can take people or situations at
face value, more often than not the entirety is a lie. The majority of
Emma's life, and even her suicide was based on lies or fantasies-
"everything was a lie!"-as are many people's lives. Still, it is hard to be
a cynic when we all conceive ourselves to be so much more aware than poor
Emma-or at least a little bit more sensible.
This specific passage is so effective because it comes at a point
in the novel when Emma is utterly desperate. Shortly after these sobering
comments, she finds herself bankrupt, and her debtors come to repossess and
sell all of her possessions. Reflecting on her love life, her marriage, and
especially her business affairs in her life, the idea that her life is a
lie seems very plausible. The reader knows that her marriage is a lie, and
we have seen her love affairs end in lies. It is obvious that her debts
were based on lies, and she is too scared to tell her husband anything,
adding another lie to the web she has entangled herself in. A tragic
character to the end, she even has to lie to get the arsenic, saying she
has to kill rats.
In the end, Emma has proven that beyond a doubt, everything in her
life was a lie. In her childhood, she created fantasies that she could not
act out, and her marriage was also a lie. Her love affairs all ended in
lies, and her business transactions were utterly fraudulent. Even her
suicide was based on a lie-she lied to get the poison and lied to her
husband when he asked what she ate. Thus, the line "everything was a lie!"
has enhanced significance when examined in the context of the entire novel.Partner sites: Study Spanish in Spain, Pug, and Free Argumentative and Persuasive Essays