Madame Bovary

Without even looking at the reviews, I can tell that Madame Bovary must be a controversial character. I think she is a vain, selfish, and greedy woman. At the same time, I feel like I can't fault her for that even those are, without a doubt, faults. Doesn't everyone feel like they are chasing a lifestyle that they so desparately want at least at one point in their life? Doesn't anyone pause to think that maybe they could have done better for themselves? I guess the best indicator of someone's personality is how they go about these feelings. In the case of Madame Bovary, her actions don't exactly cast her in the best light.

However, if Bovary was a saint, that would make for an incredibly boring story. I could barely put the book down. It was a good read but I don't think I would come back to this.

This story is haunting--and I finally know what that means. It's so well-written that I could actually feel Madame Bovary's boredom and inner despair.

There is a strong message here, as well, about what ennui can do. In this case, it lead to actions that not only ruined Madame Bovary's life, but that of her family, as well. Very tragic.



“Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.”
(Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)