Social Divide between the Rich and the Poor in GustaveFlauberts Madame Bovary essays

Social Divide between the Rich and the Poor in GustaveFlaubert's Madame Bovary essays Throughout history, literature has become an effective medium that reflects and illustrates social events and experiences of a particular period. Furthermore, literary works provide a subjective interpretation of experiences that the author/writer has that are also significant in studying the kind of society and people that lived in a particular period. Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" provides these functions in a literary piece; his depiction of life of Western society during the 19th century mirrors the rigidly conservative and intolerant nature of the people against individuals who are perceived to be outcasts' or non-conformists among people who follow strict norms within their society. In the novel, Flaubert centers on Madame Bovary, who, after witnessing the elegance and high status of the rich and elite class of the society, aspired for a life similar to theirs. In the process, Madame Bovary wasted her life committing mistakes, like committing adultery, just so she would have the wealth she have always dreamed of. Throughout the novel, Flaubert focused on illustrating to his audience the highly critical society that the Bovary couple lived in; why, in the course of the novel, they became victims of the illusion that wealth will come their way eventually (especially Madame Bovary). This paper discusses, through a character analysis of Charles and Emma Bovary and a study of their life as a couple, how the great social divide between the rich and the poor has led to the tragic end of Emma Bovary's life. The analysis and discussion centers on Part I of the novel, where Flaubert shows the transition of Emma Bovary's character from being a simple village girl to being a desperate social climber' and eventually, Chapter 1 of the novel gives the audience background information about Charles Bovary's childhood and the blatant discrimination that he ex...