Emma Bovary & Her Extremes

And so the love Emma had for Rodolphe “increased each day in proportion to the revulsion she felt for her husband” (p. 184) and she begins to put all her time and energy into the affair. We see her hate Charles with each coming day, especially after the incident with the failed surgery of Hippolyte’s leg. When Emma finds out her husband has only made things worse she begins to throw “her soul into her longing [of her lover once again], surging toward it with a new enthusiasm” (p. 183). And once again, no longer does she hold her husband in high esteem.

After investing so much into the affair with Rodolphe and revolving her happiness around it, she loses him because of her extremity of feelings. He, only wanting a mistress from the end, must leave her because she begins to put pressure on him to run away with her, become her one and only. And so, he puts a end to the affair which appears to nearly put an end to Emma’s life. She becomes sickly to the point where she can’t even get out of bed. With her recovery, she becomes a pious wife, devoted to religion. However her extremity of her devotion soon wears out, like her other extremities, not fortified enough to last. But, alas, she is reunited with a love that was never kindled and now our Leon, seeming to be more upfront about his emotions, doesn’t let her escape without showing her how he feels. By doing so, he rekindles the passion she once had for him. Upon her arrival back home, she learns that her Charles’ father has passed away, he grieves for the loss of him, she grieves for the absence of the love of Leon. Being reminded of Leon, she begins to long for him and feels as though she must see him. Conjuring up the excuse of needing to get fabric to once again bask in his presence, she sets out once again to Hirondelle.

The faulty trait of our heroine, is the extent to which she embraces things, whether its an affair, motherhood (at first), or religion. She focuses her attention on that solely and her world beings to revolve around it. Her happiness, as well, depends on it. And then when it fails to keep her happy (as in the case with Leon leaving the first time and Rodolphe leaving), she sinks down into a grave depression as if she is going to die, her extremes prove to be a weakness. It is already apparent that Leon is now taking the place of religion and her previous lover. Now, readers can only sit and ponder whether or not the same will occur with Leon.