Love vs. Passion in Madame Bovary

A detailed Summary of Love vs. Passion in Madame Bovary


In an ideal world, like the one Emma Bovary yearns for in the book Madame

Bovary, romantic relationships are based on the principle that the two

participants are madly in love with each other. But in the world Gustave Flaubert paints in his book, as in the real world, passion and personal gain are the only reasons people enter into a relationship.

Before meeting Emma, Charles Bovary weds a much older woman. He

"had seen in marriage the advent of an easier life, thinking he would be more

free to do as he liked with himself and his money."(p. 7) But he also laments

that "his wife was master; he had to say this and not say that in company, to fast

every Friday, dress as she liked, harass at her bidding those patients who did

not pay."(p. 7) These are clearly not the signs of a loving relationship; indeed, Charles and Madame Dubuc treat marriage as a chore or formality, and not a pleasure.

When Charles takes his second wife, Emma, love is, once again, not


Leon certainly does not love Emma. He is merely physically attracted to

else does he decide to leave her when she tries to take their relationship to the next level? And when he writes a "dear Jane letter" to Emma informing her of his leaving, he is forced to fake a tear.

relation is not love either. On Emma's part, she is just trying to fulfill her



Some common words found in the essay are:
Leon Leon, Madame Dubuc, Madame Bovary's, Charles Bovary, Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert, Emma Bovary, love emma, Eventually Leon, , madame bovary, obviously love,

Approximate Word count = 678
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

join now Save Paper



Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.