Gustave Flaubert and his "Madame Bovary"

We would like to think that everything in life is capable, or beyond the brink of reaching perfection. It would be an absolute dream to look upon each day with a positive outlook. We try to establish our lives to the point where this perfection may come true at times, although, it most likely never lasts. There's no real perfect life by definition, but instead, the desire and uncontrollable longing to reach this dream.

In the novel Madame Bovary, it's easy to relate to the characters as well as the author of this book. One can notice that they both share a fairly similar view on life, and that their experiences actually tie in with each other.

English: Illustration of Madame Bovary by Gustave ...

English: Illustration of Madame Bovary by Gustave ...

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Emma Bovary dreamed of a life beyond that of perfection as well. She realizes that she leads an ordinary and average life, but simply does not want to abide by it. In the novel, Emma meets a pitiful doctor named Charles Bovary. The first time they meet, Charles falls instantly in love with her. They begin to see more and more of each other until Charles asks Emma's father for her hand in marriage. They end up getting married and everything goes fine, just like a normal couple, for awhile. They did things with each other, went out, and were extremely happy. Although, this love and passion for life shortly ended when Emma's true feelings began to come about. We soon come to realize that "the story is of a

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woman whose dreams of romantic love, largely nourished by novels, find no fulfillment when she is married to a boorish country doctor" (Thorlby 272).

This is completely true because Emma really does get caught up in her reading. She wonders why she can't have a flawless love as well as...