3 Madame Bovary, Ch 1-4

1. Lathe: a machine in which work is rotated about a horizontal axis and shaped by a fixed tool. -Merriam-Webster Online

Page 111: "Among the village windows there was one even more often occupied; on Sunday, from morning until night, and every afternoon if the weather was clear, Monsieur Binet's thin profile could be seen as he leaned over his lathe."


2. The second section of the book begins with a very detailed description of Yonville-l'Abbaye, the town Charles and Emma move to. The town doesn't offer a lot of excitement, and the main places of interest are an inn, a pharmacy and a cemetary. The Bovarys dine frequently at the inn and at the pharmacist Homais's house. and a strange sort of relationship develops between Emma and Leon, a clerk in town. While Charles is ecstatic about their child, Emma spends her time hoping that her life will change for the better and growing closer to Leon.


3. I found this section to be really interesting in regards to its portrayal of gender and gender roles. The first thing that struck me was in Chapter 1 when the landlady is being portrayed. While she comes across as kind of gruff and not nearly as affluent as Emma, she seems happy with her life. This is so different from the attitude we've seen displayed by Madame Bovary. The landlady might not be wealthy but she seems to take it all with a grain of salt, arguing (in a good-natured way) with her customers and taking life as it comes. Emma, on the other hand, seems uptight most of the time and hates her life even though she is well-off compared to many people. I also loved when, on page 101, when it describes Emma's thoughts on child-bearing. It says that, "Emma was at first bewildered, then she yearned for the child to be born in order to know how it felt to be a mother." It seems that Emma wants to be a mother just because it's unlike anything she's ever done and may provide some of the excitement she's looking for. However, when Emma is not free to spend money on baby preparations, she loses interest. This demonstrates her materialistic nature and once again contrasts with the landlady. Also on page 101 is a passage talking about Emma's views on gender. "A man, at least, is free. He can explore passions and countries, surmount obstacles, taste the most exotic pleasures. But a woman is continually held back. Inert and flexible at the same time, she has both the susceptibilities of the flesh and legal restrictions against her." This seems like blatant feminism on Flaubert's part, even though he disguises it through Emma's thoughts. I really liked this passage because I felt like Flaubert was addressing social inequalities that were doubtlessly occuring when he wrote the book.


4. My first question is about the "nurse". When Berthe is born she goes immediately into the care of a wet nurse and Emma goes to visit her. Was it normal for babies to be taken care of women who weren't there mothers? If so, how long did this go on for?

My second question branches off from my first. What are the "six weeks of the Virgin"? They are mentioned on page 103. I assumed they have to do with life immediately after giving birth but I have no idea if I'm even on the right track with that.

A third and final question is whether Leon will ever act on his emotions toward Emma. It's obvious they both have feelings for each other, and the tension is building, but Leon has yet to summon the courage to do anything. As much as I hate to admit it, I kind of hope he does. Although their relationship is superficial, it certainly is interesting.