Death Over Life in Flaubert's Madame Bovary
Often in literature, a character is found that is quite memorable. Never was this more true than in Flaubert's Madame Bovary. To some, Emma Bovary's action at the end of the novel was drastic and unnecessary; others believed her death to be the end of the natural progression of the story. However, Emma's decision to commit suicide was relatively simple, yet came as a last resort. She had exhausted all the other options she felt were available, and in the end made her plan based on finances, lost love, and the sheer boredom of her life.
One motivation for Emma's suicide was her financial problems. She spent extravagant amounts of her husband, Charles', money on dresses, scarves, and house decorations. More money was expended for Emma's "music lessons," which were actually her alibi for her affair with Leon. Also, she had spent too much money while preparing to run off with Rodolphe, a journey that never occurred. All Emma's debts piled up, then came due at the same time; she tried to put them out of her mind, to no avail. She even went as far as to beg money from Rodolphe, her former lover, who rejects her. After leaving Rodolphe Emma is angry; she has lost her normal ability to reason, but could still make a decision (Roe 42). As she could not forget, she devised, in a moment of "Emma-style logic," the solution to her problems. So, "...in an ecstasy of heroism, that made her almost joyous, she ran down the hill...and reached the chemist's shop" (Flaubert 221-222). Once at the chemist's, she frantically ingests a lethal dose of arsenic. It is tragic that the only release from her problems Emma could see was death.
Emma's failed love af...
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...cide became her only option, and having taken the action she thought necessary, "...she went home, suddenly calmed, and with something of the serenity of one who had performed a duty" (Flaubert 222). However, Emma's death was not serene; it was violent and grotesque. Ironically, she did finally achieve "tragic romance heroine" status: she died young, penniless, and heartbroken.
Works Cited
Buck, Stratton. Gustave Flaubert. University of the South: Twayne. 1966. 68-72.
Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. New York: Dover. 1996.
Green, Frederick C. French Novelists: From the Revolution to Proust. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1964. 233.
Roe, David. Gustave Flaubert. New York: St. Martin's, 1989.
Turnell, Martin. "Madame Bovary." Flaubert: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Raymond Giraud. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1964.
Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. "Tartuffe." The Norton Anthology Western Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 2. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 19-67. Print.
Roy Jenkins, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, provides a brief overlook of Roosevelt’s life. As a foreigner, Jenkins is able to view Franklin’s accomplishments and failures from a rational view point. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the thirty-second president of the United States, and the only one to be elected more than twice. Even though he entered the presidency during an economic crisis, Roosevelt made a huge on the United States.
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the thirty-second president of the U.S. in 1933. He was one of the most skillful political leaders and it showed as he led the people out of the Great Depression. The U.S. was in a state of depression when Roosevelt took office, but through his New Deal program, the federal government became much more involved socially and economically in peoples' lives in contrast to its traditionally passive role. The government's responsibilities in peoples' lives changed and individuals' responsibilities changed too. The role of the government in peoples' lives expanded greatly during the New Deal era.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States. He was born in January 30, 1882. He was elected to four terms in office, served from 1933 to 1945 and is the only U.S. president to have served more than 2 terms. A central figure of the 20th century during a time of economic depression and World War II has consistently been ranked as one of the three greatest U.S. Presidents in scholarly surveys. His parents James Roosevelt, a businessman and Sarah Ann Delano made sure he had the best education they could provide him. Roosevelt attended prestigious preparatory schools and graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in History and studied law at Columbia. Even though Roosevelt didn’t completely finish his law studies in Columbia, he worked for a successful law firm in New York City. He married his distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1906 and had six children, only five of them survived infancy.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was loathed by some and yet loved by so many. Becoming one of the most beloved presidents in U.S. history for the four terms he was in office. His unusual charm and optimism that he communicated through the confidence of others is what people easily remembered him by. He often brought a confidence and a smile in to any room he entered and yet never underestimated his own responsibilities to specific situations that needed his undivided attention. Those actions alone helped sustained the nation through some of it’s darker times such as the Great Depression and World War II.
In 1933 FDR was elected President Of The United States. One unique thing about Roosevelt is that he was the only president to be elected 3 times. He ran against Herbert Hoover who was elected the 31st president 4 years before FDR’s term and,was running again for a second term. During FDR’s presidency he led the country through WWII and The Great Depression.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is probably the greatest the United States of America ever had because of his ability to overcome the challenges of the Great Depression that plagued America when he took office and the Second World War. Roosevelt's personality and achievements, during one of the worst times of American and the world history, are witnesses to this fact.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is among the most remembered U.S. Presidents. Serving as President for more than twelve years, he was the only President to be elected four times. Roosevelt led the United States through its worst depression and its worst war. He tried his best to stay optimistic with our country and the decisions he made. In Roosevelt's first inaugural address, he asked for faith in America's future. He told the country, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (Burns 1970, p. 238). That is the lesson that he taught our country to live by.
Moulton, Charles Wells. Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors through the Beginning of the Twentieth Century: Volume 1. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1966. Print.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most significant figures in American History. Roosevelt served in office from March 1933 to April 1945, the longest tenure of any other President in United States history. Within these twelve years, Roosevelt was left to handle the burdensome consequences of the time, including The Great Depression and Germany and Japan’s rise to power, which were far beyond his control. Faced with such difficult situations, Roosevelt has combated these challenges in such a way that has left him as a remarkable figure in American history.
Emma, a novel by Jane Austen, is the story of a young woman, Emma, who is rich, stubborn, conniving, and occupies her time meddling into others' business. There are several recurring themes throughout the novel; the ideas of marriage, social class, women's confinement, and the power of imagination to blind the one from the truth, which all become delineated and reach a climax during the trip to Box Hill. The scene at Box Hill exposes many underlying emotions that have been built up throughout the novel, and sets the stage for the events that conclude it.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was a man of unusual charm and great optimism, which he was able to communicate to others. He had a broad smile and was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the nation through its darkest moments during crisis like the Great Depression and World War II. He became one of the most beloved of U.S. presidents for four terms in office. But beneath his outward friendliness was an inner reserve and an iron will. His admirers emphasized the way in which he met the nation's problems. They praised him for insisting that the federal government must help the underprivileged and that the United States must share in the responsibility for preserving world peace. Franklin Roosevelt made a profound and very important impact upon his times and his policies exerted great influence on the future (Freidel).
Tucker, Martin. Moulton’s Library of Literary Criticism. Volume 4. Frederick Ungar Publishing Company. New York. 1967.
Overall, both Gustave Flaubert and Isabel Allende use their specific genres, their characters’ dialogue and narration, and their writing style to promote their feelings towards destiny. Flaubert, unfailingly anti-fate, believes that the idea of something being destined to happen is silly and goes along with the bourgeois he hates so much. Allende, his exact opposite, judges that fate is an important part of life and should not be muddied up with anything other than what is destined to occur. Even though Flaubert and Allende have differing views on whether fate should be minimized or promoted, they both use the theme of suspense or anticipation in addition to the literary techniques to fully emphasize their beliefs on destiny.
Emma is the main character in the novel. She is a beautiful, smart, and wealthy 21-year-old woman. Because of her admired qualities, Emma is a little conceited. She is the daughter of Henry Woodhouse. Since her mother died, Emma has taken the role of taking care of her father, who is old and often sick.