Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary
By Gustave Flaubert

I picked this book up at a used bookstore in Traverse City a couple of years ago. I picked it up largely because it is an old French classic of original copyright printing & binding, simply to add to my bookshelf. I pulled it off my bookshelf to possibly discover in a classic, a lifestyle that may provide clues as to where or at what time in history man began his deference of self-accountability to his government. The book in modern times in a mid American crowd would be an Oprah chic book. So I was struck to find myself reading it. I had no clue of what I was getting in to. As it is a drama about the life of Madame Bovary, which could happen to anyone. The real beauty in the book is the French description, and the thought-provoking message. Character and setting introduction goes as follows.

The setting of the story is in the farm country of Western France. You could imagine slightly rolling hills carved by the intersection of two rivers, cultivated and rich in crop. The small towns are situated about fifteen miles from each other and each with a population of a hundred to two. The Bovary’s lived in town and from their house you get the impression that they could tune in to all that is happening by putting ones head out the window. The Bovary house came with one servant and was your typical middle-income house with a piano that may have had them in slight advantage over others. All in all it was a setting for a pretty quiet and uneventful life. The key characters help define the authors message.

Charles Bovary - was molded by his mothers drive. She set his life’s charter to be a doctor. His first effort was a failure due to the decision not being his own. However his second effort on the boot of his father proves successful. As he grew into his practice and got fat as his focused was on both his patients and his wife. He was well respected; a loving and caring husband, yet not refined to the manners of Paris. He fell into life.

Madame Bovary’s - (Emma) moral fabric was weaved in a convent. There she learned the morals of life’s decisions She came to appreciate art, music, and culture was well read. When her mother died she returned to the farm to help her father out. It was in this setting that she met Monsieur Bouvary, succumbed to a courtship out of limited choice and marriage partially arranged, partially promoted by her father. She battled through life.

Leon – a bit younger than Emma is a dreamer and also longing for the city. His longing for academic study and for culture led to his departure to Paris to pursue a career in law.

Rodolphe - was bachelor, a lady’s man. He was rich and developed selfish designs on Emma that go too far for a confirmed bachelor. He realizes her longing for arts and culture and plays into them only to have a mistress shackled in a marriage where he may have his way with her and also live his life of solitude.

Lormeaux - is the local merchant. I am always intrigued of the venue for distribution of goods of that time as well the understanding and practice of commercial exchange. Lormeaux extends credit to Emma and therefore plays the role of merchant and capitalist. This represents store credit cards of today. The main business difference is simple interest -v- compounding interest. Secondarily is today’s stores are much better situated to absorb losses for those that default on their loans. The personal interaction is less noticeable where one is not aware of the obligation to repay and consequence upon society and our economy for not doing so. Through the character of Lormeaux: the signing of a promissory notes, the negotiation of debt among other businessmen, and the tendering of debt paper as payment is described as common place of the times. Today that process is made as transparent as possible and I find that the average person may only witness with the transfer of a mortgage. Thus a stranger collecting on a debt, changing the unwritten understandings of the primary lender, do not occur.

In summary the story line picks up where marriage for Emma was an awakening where she soon discovered that her passion for a finer life could not be met with Charles. She was a good wife and tended to the house with elegance, yet inside she was burning for something more. Monsieur Bouvary was invited to a country party where she danced with a Viscount. The dance illuminated her desires for city life. Depression from absence of arts set in so drastically that Charles moved his practice to a new town in Yoneville, hoping a change in setting would cure her ailment. Coincidently their first child came along and Emma’s preoccupation with motherhood temporarily masked her passions. She discovers in young Leon someone she can share in her passion for art and culture. The passion for each other is lit, however restraint, founded in a moral code, prevails. It was Emma’s attempt to put mind over passion. Leon would eventually leave Yoneville for a Paris leaving a tremendous vacuum in Emma’s life.

This sets the stage for Rodolphe. In the vacuum he sweeps in and cultivates four years of escapade and rendezvous. In classic French style of the time the scenes are romantic, not naughty. While Rodolphe plays the cock that couldn’t crow with a strut instead, Emma plans a life together. Rodolphe plays along only to continue this perfect bachelor arrangement. Emma incurs tremendous debt arranging an escape to a new life only to find Rodolphe leaves her in a lurch. The scene draws a contrast of morals.

A moral code: “but one must bow to the opinion of the world and accept it’s moral code”
But there are two types “The small conventional, that of men, that which constantly changes, that brays out so loudly, that makes such a commotion here below. Of earth and earthy. But the other, the eternal, that is about us and the blue heavens that give us light”

This contrast sets the stage for the return of Leon. While there is at first an attempt for restrain an affair is lit by a carriage ride of lovemaking. This time however this time Emma is in control. This time Leon plays the part of the mistress. Emma spins a web of lies, waiting to be unraveled. Love turns to everyday life of which Emma funds through revenue from Charles’s patients and an over extension of her ability to repay her debt. She implores Charles to extend a power of attorney to manage the money of the house. Imagine this power not being implied through a marriage license. After this book one would be compelled to revert back to the ways of old. As an indication to the evolution away from personal responsibility the book includes a dialogue between Lormeaux and Charles with Lormeaux saying, “A man of science should not be troubled with matters of money”. This gives Lormeaux, with full knowledge of Emma’s agenda by way of the things she purchases, free access to the pocket book of unsuspecting Charles.

As events of the economy changed, Emma’s debt fell upon the decision making of persons not privy to the nature of her debt. And as such strict adherence to repayment was rudely and with great surprise introduced to Madame Bovary. Without knowledge of the custom of repayment to a stranger collecting on a debt, Bovary never considered changing the unwritten understandings of the primary lender, which previously allowed her a never-ending continuance of debt. As her passion for culture eroded to a lust for things she could not fairly gain she was rendered incapable of good business judgment. In the face of a bankruptcy process whereby the town official comes in to your home and prices all belongings for auction to facilitate repayment her solution an act was to take her own life.

In closing Charles, only after an honorable funeral, discovers the years of love letters and the deception. This discovery leads to the mysterious passing of Charles, where you conclude he simply lost all meaning of life. This left their daughter Berthe who you are left wondering about. The two metaphors from this book that give meaning to me are: When words fall short in the expression of ones heart: “They like a cracked kettle, on which we hammer out tunes to make bears dance, when we long to move the stars” “A lifetime of passion can be fit in a minute”. These are only to think about, as I have not an answer. My preference for poetic expression is though renewed from words like these. For they ironically do paint a meaningful picture best left to poetic interpretation. I did find the answer to a much simpler question; which is how a person could loose sight of personal accountability.