How Flaubert uses Madame Bovary as a commentary on the role of women
Introduction
The novel Madame Bovary presented 19th-century women as a gender that is supposed to be bound by domestic duties and be submissive to their husband. The novel portrayed women as a gender that is totally dependent on men’s decision considering how Emma begged her lovers once they decided to quite the affairs (Flaubert, 2019). Females are middle-class people without freedom of choice and finances. Emma, the main character in the novel, goes against the set norms after doing some readings and understanding her rights as a married person. She sacrifices all what she has just to get sexual satisfaction. She even has extra-marital affairs and wants to advance from the middle class to the first class. These actions portray how modern women sacrifice in the fight for their freedom (Goldstein, 2009). However, Emma pays a lot for her action through death, which portrays how modern females suffer in the fight for their freedom. In most countries, women have no freedom, and their determination is still dependent on the choices of men just as Emma in her determinations to continue with affairs with her lovers. More so, religion needs women to be fully submissive to their husbands. However, post-feminism movements brought great changes to women (Goldstein, 2010). Such movements can still use Emma as a point of reference and learning. Such movements are highly esteemed in developed countries than in developing countries that may not be the case. Thus, the novel is still of important highlighting areas that may require more changes. This essay, therefore, argues that the novel Madame Bovary is still of great relevance today, given that the freedom and self-determination of women in many countries are still severely restricted.
Argument
Emma became iconic in a postfeminist moment. According to Leonard, S., (2013), Madame Bovary can still do cultural and even feminist-related work because of the ability to arouse people’s fickle discussions about desire, intimacy, boredom, and disappointment, which are topics of great interest to contemporary women. The feminist fiction that grew in Great Britain and the United States in the second wave of feminism brought the necessity for the autonomy of females, reproductive, and sexual freedom. The feminist movement educated on how having freedom for women is a great advantage. Using this novel, therefore, helps feminist trace the areas that need freedom. For instance, women need intimacy in their marriage in modern days. Emma helps understand how lack of intimacy and satisfaction may because women sacrifice their bodies through pre-marital affairs. Emma’s forays into higher education struggles with men as well as her first sexual experience, visits to psychotherapists, parenting challenges, difficult reproductive decisions, as well as her reproductive challenges are the current key areas of consideration while discussing feminism in the modern world.
Females should be allowed to read and understand their rights, just as Emma understood most of her rights through reading. There is the importance of reading practices by females to the project of feminist. In this case, people must get knowledge through reading and understanding their rights in heterosexual institutions such as marriage. Emma read articles that made her understand her right as a married woman, especially in areas of intimacy with her husband.
Feminist fiction, at some levels, demythologize and de-familiarize heterosexual romance through the process that women get married. Rushing to get married at an early age may not bring satisfaction as one may think. Currently, many ladies feel uncomfortable to remain single in their twenties and thirties. They may, therefore, rush and get married to incompatible men; some few other dates with men could help one get the right person that satisfies them (Bautista, 2006).
The novel helps in intervening and reevaluating marital commitments while making them equitable. Such interventions and evaluations are not only done by the feminists, but also by the real world that considers some roles as unfavorable for females. To improve the economic, social, and sexual status of females, women are getting employed and learned. More so, their financial status improves every season. Women have the right to sexual reproduction, access to higher education, reproductive freedom, and they get support for creative pursuits. Emma is therefore used as a core reference into developing females in these areas.
In professional positions, women are considered lesser than their counterparts in terms of abilities. This situation makes women get lower positions than men regardless of their skills (Crittenden, 2010). For instance, it is easier for a male to be promoted to supervisory and management positions than a female with an equal qualification at the same workplace. To this end, women find themselves relying on males for directions and guidelines. Crittenden (2002) argues that society has classified women as the lesser gender and contribute less to a major position. As a result, they rely on the other gender in terms of support and acceptance in the community. For example, In Afghanistan, as stated by Shaikh, Ansari, and Memon (2018), women are restricted to traditional roles. Such under-representation of women at high ranks in managerial positions results from the historical view of women in the families. They were mainly regarded as housewives, who should remain submissive to their husbands (Haeook Jeong, 2009).
In addition, some jobs that are regarded as female jobs pay lesser than the counter jobs viewed as males’. For instance, in some countries, parking attendants and driving jobs, which are regarded as jobs for males, may pay higher than nursery school teaching jobs, which is viewed as a female job (Gringeri, 2002). Such discrimination is still a concern in the modern world.
Women are still regarded as lesser than their husbands in some nations, especially in developing countries (Dominelli, 2019). Some societies expect women to take of their children and husbands and have no financial freedom. Women have no right to talk about their sexual matters and desires in the marriage. Polygamous is allowed, but polyandry is not allowed in some countries. Women cannot express their sexual desires to their husbands, and no one cares whether they get the satisfaction they need (Leonard, 2020). Additionally, religion says that women are below men and should fully submit to their husbands. At the same time, some religions support polygamous, which denies females sexual intimacy in marriage (Neupane & Khanal, 2018). Polygamous facilitates the husband’s desires while undermining the desires of the wives. Therefore, this novel is still very important in considering areas that need to be changed for the good of both males and females.
Counter argument
According to Goldstein (2010), the author’s focus and experiences that are from a European perspective, which does not give a real picture of women in other parts of the world. Most women in the real world do not have such freedom, as explained in the novel. Traditions bring them as lesser sex that always depend on males (Leonard, 2013). For instance, most Arab countries teach their women-only domestic work from tender ages as opposed to European countries. According to Cislaghi et al. (2019), women refuse to change to reality and are found living their life and going against the norms of the community which result in a low standard of living and views from society(O’Reilly, 2010). It is mainly difficult to change the way women have been taught and disciplined. Even after teaching them their rights, they will still be found going for some profession and leaving others for men. It becomes hard to adjust them to the new methods. In the profession, most women prefer leaving some tasks for men and doing simpler ones. They, therefore, end up getting lower salaries than men. Consequently, it cannot base the entire concept as true for the rest of the world’s society.
Limitation
The novel uses an occurrence from European countries to represent all women from the rest of the world, which may not be possible. Different societies have different practices that may not be applicable to other areas. The novel promotes extra-marital affairs, which may not be accepted since it is not an encouraging characteristic (Owen-Smith, 2003). Most things explained in the novel and books may just be fallacies and not practical in real-life situations. Such fallacies may not be applicable in reality. The author does not consider the biological composition of the two genders, which may still limit female’s freedom regardless of how people fight for them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the novel Madame Bovary’s present woman is very important in daily life. It has helped in re-evaluation of the roles of women not only in European countries but also in other parts of the world (Porter & Grey, 2002). It helps relate problems that women undergo and at least find solutions to some of the issues facing females in the current world. For instance, the main character, Emma, is mainly used to do cultural as well as feminist related work because of the way she triggers discussions about the boredom, intimacy, desire, and disappointments that women undergo in marriage. She is used to considering some gender duties that need to be adjusted while understanding methods of promoting females to have financial freedoms (Zelizer et al., 2002). More so, the novel helps trigger an understanding of how women are considered lesser in the current days, especially in their profession and household chores. However, it considers women from European countries, which may not give the real picture of women in other parts of the world (Weldon & Flaubert, 2003). More so, women may refuse to change and adapt to the norms in the modern world. Some parts of the world need to be enlightened about the challenges facing women. Educating people using this novel gives a realistic picture of such challenges. Therefore, the novel Madame Bovary is still of great relevance today, given that the freedom and self-determination of women in many countries are still severely restricted. The novel is still up to date.
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