Madame Bovary- the Inability of Romanticism to Coexist with the Industrialized Society

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Emma’s yearning to live in her fantasized ideal romantic world has driven her to unhappiness. It is human nature to be unhappy when one’s demands are unfulfilled, however, Emma is “waiting for something to happen…growing continually sadder.” (79) Emma’s realization that Charles cannot satisfy her dreams places her in such a state. This demonstrates her constant need for change as her fantasies are not met. Moreover, it escalates her unhappiness to a level where she is incapable of doing anything satisfactory and unable to think positively. She is only able to further sadden herself, showcasing the extreme emotions possessed by romantics. Thus indicating that the romantic mindset cannot function in the real world (during the industrial revolution). This is clearly expressed as Emma is unable to grasp Charles’ frustration of their financial status. Her thoughts are significantly limited to only her romantic way of living. It is evident throughout the novel that she is separated from Charles’ world. The fair represents the advancements of the era as ideas are moved from one city to another. (the fair is held in different cities) Thus, Charles, a guest speaker at the fair, is portrayed to be keeping up with this transitional era. During the fair, however, Emma has secluded herself in a room with a fellow romantic: Rodolphe. This suggests that as the world is moving forward, Emma herself is not progressing. The idea is further bolstered when she drives herself to illness from her excessive unhappiness. Emma, “became pale and suffered heart palpitations…. Some days she would talk with feverish abandon.” (83) The illness derived from Emma’s emotions represents the inability of romanticism to cope with the real world. The romantic mindset is so overbearing; it is capable of making people sick. Furthermore, the illness shows that there is no way she can continue living in her current unsatisfactory situation. If she continues to be in this state, she will undoubtedly die. Therefore, she compensates with spending.

Emma’s desire to pursue the romantic lifestyle is not only costly to herself but to her family as well. The excessive spending compensates for her unfulfilled desires. Her method for acquiring money however, foreshadows her demise. Emma sees “on the hill a poor wandering beggar with a cane appeared…. A battered old hat, shaped like a basin, hid his face but when he pulled it off, revealed two gaping bloody orbits where the eyelid should have been… he sang a little song while trailing after the coaches: ‘ often the warmth of the lovely day, makes a girl dream of love.’” (252) The blind beggar represents Emma herself and the toll her romantic ideology is taking on her and her family. The blindness represents Emma’s inability to realize what she has become. Her idealized world has driven her to this state of bankruptcy and to becoming a disguised beggar. The song suggests that the beggar too is a romantic. Furthermore, Emma’s unfulfilled sexual desires cause her to outsource her love and have affairs with other men. The time Emma spent with Leon,” three full days, glorious days, a real honey moon,” (243) presents the idea of her moral bankruptcy. Emma possess the characteristic of a beggar from the start- initially for love then for money. Her acts of breaking moral boundaries with such ease represents carelessness and hence, foreshadow her demise.

The novel Madame Bovary illustrates the fundamental issues faced by a romantic at the dawn of a new industrialized era. Prior to this transformation, romanticism allowed individuals to express themselves as freely and as passionately as possible. Industrialization however, brought rules and boundaries unknown to man before. It put an end to the free spiritedness of romantics and confined them to the new laws of right and wrong. So much so that the battle between romanticism and industrialization became so challenging that it ended relationships and ruined lives. It tested a person’s morals and physical well being as well. It made people question how far they were willing to go to keep their romantic spirit alive? In Emma Bovary’s case the dreams were far more important to secure than her own life. She digs her own grave rather than adjusting to the change that did not allow her to be herself. Alas, change prevailed while lives were lost.