Themes

A quite obvious theme in Madame Bovary is **love**- specifically, the rarity of true love in a society driven by trivial desires and disillusioned by the concept of "romance". Emma marries Charles when she is very young, an action motivated more by convenience and an eagerness for adventure than from the commitmentof a loving relationship. She expects marriage to be a grand, passionate journey, and is deeply disappointed when Charles fails to impress. She finds him to be dull and clumsy. She wishes her husband could be a prestigious doctor, one who appears in the newspaper and is invited to all the social galas. Her silly ideas of romance come from reading many glamourized novels, and Emma tries to satiate her lusts by having adulterous affairs. Meanwhile, Charles is very much in love with Emma, but they fail to connect on any deep emotional level. He adores her only for her appearance and charm; he doesn't understand any of her sentimental values. Monsieur Boulanger is also attracted to Emma's beauty, but he is the foil to Charles' sweet, adoring innocence. Boulanger seduces Emma with his worldly ways, and he flatters her with all the right words. He's only looking for a good time, and Emma becomes attached to him due to a psychological dependence on romance. Neither of these relationships reflects the emotional commitment that marriage is supposed to symbolize. Despite its image of a romance novel, Madame Bovary actually criticizes the petty illusions of sensual intrigue.

 A major obstacle in Emma's ambitions for high **social stature ** is her lack of  **money **. Charles' few clients and appointments don't provide enough income to satisfy Emma's luxurious tastes. To Emma, the most definite characteristic of the upper class is their ability to buy whatever they want. They purchase the latest fashions, eat the finest desserts, and attend the most famous operas and plays. When these luxuries escape Emma's grasp, she falls into a deep depression which her husband tries to cure by spoiling her. Sometimes Emma feels bad about spending her Charles' money, but she can't resist the  accessories   at Monsieur Leureux's shop. To hide her expenses from Charles, she recklessly uses credit loans to purchase items. But the loans eventually expire, and the interest accumulates until it is impossible for Emma to pay them off. Emma's financial ruin is a result of her lavish tastes and reckless behavior, traits shaped by the pressures her society places on wealth.

Another theme that accompanies the previous idea is the **powerlessness of women** during this time period to change their circumstances regarding money and social standing. Emma wishes so badly to change her situation, but with her little education and middle class status, it's nearly impossible for her to earn extra money or climb the social ladder. Women in the 1800s rarely worked outside the home; it was not an acceptable thing for a lady to do. Hence the opportunities to accumulate wealth fell to the husband, but Charles seemed content with his private medical practice and middle class income. Emma also attempts to gain social confidence by chasing wealthy, sophisticated men. She relishes her affairs with Monsieur Boulanger and Leon because they are more cosmopolitan than her husband, but shortly thereafter these affairs end because of Emma's obsessive affection and overwhelming needs. She relies on the men she loves to fulfill her dream life, but they fail to do so either because they don't understand her or they don't wish to help her. When it appears that none of them can help her out of debt, Emma tries to prostitute herself. Even then nobody is willing to pay her, and she's left completely helpless.