Social Class in Madame Bovary Essay

During the 19th century, France was experiencing and suffering from a huge social disturbance. As a result, new social group was rising which was the bourgeoisie (middle class). These people got their chance thought commercials and events instead of inheritance. They were described by the word materialism. Gustave Flaubert’s book, Madame Bovary, he wrote about how good, simple, innocent and naive these people are. He also used the book to grab the people’s attention to the poorness of this class. It also shows the effect of social classes on a person.

A good example of that will be Emma Bovary. The poor life of the middle caused her fall. This was because she always wanted a higher status, wealth, love and happiness. She saw everything in a different view. This things lead to her affairs and beings in debt and finally killing herself. Additionally, Emma is one of the intelligent characters in the book. Her capacity of imagination is great. She is very attentive to the outside details. She is attracted to how people are dressed and how they look but she doesn’t judge people depending on their characters or their inside.

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As a result of this, she is totally convinced by the people who act to be something more than what they really are. On the other hand, she hates the people who don’t lie to her this is mostly because they are in her same social class. In addition, Emma is a very simple girl but she was always obsessed and dreamed of different types of imaginative love and being rich. One of the good examples that support that was when Charles took her to the ball. She considered it a chance to show everyone how sophisticated she is.

The food served there was extremely expensive but wasn’t expensive for the people who were there because they were from the top class. While eating, Emma “noticed that several of the ladies had not put their gloves inside their glasses” (45). It was habitual for middle class women to put their gloves in their wine glass to point out they wont drink. She was amazingly surprised by the women who were affording to drink wine and especially by the sophisticated ones who drank while eating.

Also, she was convinced that the people there liked her very much and that they invited her to attend the following year but actually they invited them to the ball as a favor which will be once in there life. Actually during the ball Emma did loads of embarrassing things especially to the people in the upper class. she waltzes badly with the purpose of twisting her dress up with her partner and she uses the mistake as a reason to put her head on his chest. She was one of few people who left when the hosts where going to bed.

All of these things showed how she was influenced by her social class. Additionally, after this ball she totally believes that she was born in the wrong social class and that everything would have been great if she was rich. She also believes she suffer as a result of having a noble soul. She considers herself as a tragic heroine. Another thing was that she was surprised when she knew that aristocrats don’t have fancy food and drink on breakfast everyday. Moreover, she failed to realize that Rodolphe’s wasn’t satisfied throughout his life despite his wealth.

Moreover, Emma tries her best to have a friendship with a lot of people. She wants to be an aristocrat especially after the d’Andervilliers ball. Even though she has a good appearance but she lacks manners. This is proven in the book when she tries to communicate or have a conversation with anyone from any social group and she fails. Also, people didn’t really like her because of her reputation especially after having affairs. During Emma’s life, she always chose to be the center of attention. She also convinced herself that best or ideal is the standard.

When she was at the convent she followed the romantic novels she read. After going to the ball with Charles, she tried to copy or follow nobility and being rich and she found a new romantic man whom she consider as her ideal. Finally, Emma is simply a middle-class girl obsessed with a richer life. She believed that she was an aristocrat born by a mistake in a bourgeois prison but this is wrong. This is proven because all of her actions through out the book are influenced by the bourgeoisie class. Also, she commits suicide at the end as a result of her imagination and dreams.

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