The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze three women characters in European literature. Specifically it will discuss Emma Bovary in Flaubert's "Madame Bovary," Hedda Gabler in Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler," and Lubov Ranevsky in Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard." All three of these women are dynamic and interesting characters who have lives that encourage them to daydream and find solutions for their empty lives.

             In "Hedda Gabler," Hedda is childish, selfish, and only thinks of herself and her reactions to the world. She does not love her husband, or the home he bought for her after their honeymoon. Hedda is an evil schemer who uses people to amuse herself. For example, Hedda just used Lovborg, as she uses everyone to make herself feel better for marrying "beneath" her. When Hedda burns the manuscript, she ruins the relationship between Lovborg and Thea, and she knows what she is doing. She knows she has the power and understanding to make everything right; however, she decides to ruin their lives, instead. She says, "Now I am burning your child, Thea! -- Wavy-haired Thea! Your child and Eilert Lövborg's. I am burning -- I am burning your child" (Ibsen 342). Her daydreams include romantic ideals of what she thinks love should be, but her reality is bitterness, jealousy, and hate. She is a desperately unhappy and manipulative woman who does not seem to be capable of happiness and human understanding. Hedda's solution to her empty life is to shoot herself, and because no one really knew her, no one will really know why she killed herself.

             Lubov Ranevsky of "The Cherry Orchard" is perhaps the most sympathetic or sad women among these characters. She lives in the romantic dream world of her youth, and is not able to adapt to changes happening around her. She knows she is going to lose her family estate because she cannot afford to pay for it any more, but she cannot make herself stop spending and wasting money.