Madame Bovary · Chapter
Chapter VII explained
Emma's profound dissatisfaction with her marriage and provincial life deepens.
What happens
Emma's profound dissatisfaction with her marriage and provincial life deepens. She fantasizes about alternative, romantic lives and laments her husband Charles's ordinariness and lack of passion. The chapter details the growing emotional gulf between them, Emma's attempts to manufacture love, and the domestic tensions with Charles's mother. It concludes with the extraordinary event of an invitation to the Marquis d'Andervilliers' chateau at Vaubyessard, offering a glimpse into a world of glamour far removed from her own.
Themes in this chapter
Dissatisfaction and Boredom
Emma's life is described as 'cold as a garret' with 'ennui, the silent spider, weaving its web in the darkness in every corner of her heart.' Her thoughts wander aimlessly, mirroring her greyhound's random runs.
Romanticism vs. Reality
Emma fantasizes about honeymoons in lands with 'sonorous names,' Swiss chalets, and Scottish cottages with idealized husbands. This starkly contrasts with the reality of Charles's mundane conversation, thick boots, and nightly snoring.
Illusion and Self-Deception
Emma tries 'to make herself in love with him' by reciting poetry and singing melancholy songs, but finds herself unchanged. She convinces herself Charles's passion is 'nothing very exorbitant,' a mere habitual 'dessert.'
Characters to notice
- Emma Bovary
Plunged into deep ennui and romantic longing; questions her marriage and life choices; fantasizes about exotic locales and a more passionate husband; feels a growing chasm between herself and Charles.
- Charles Bovary
Portrayed as commonplace, unambitious, and content with his simple life; his conversation bores Emma; he is oblivious to her inner turmoil and proud of her domestic skills.
- Madame Dubuc
Mentioned in comparison; Charles's late first wife, in whose time his mother felt she was still the favorite.
- Marquis d'Andervilliers
His invitation to Vaubyessard arrives, prompted by Charles's medical help and a perception of Emma's refinement. This event breaks the monotony of Emma's life.
Key passages
“Her thoughts, aimless at first, wandered at random, like her greyhound... Then gradually her ideas took definite shape... 'Good heavens! Why did I marry?'”
Emma's unfocused boredom crystallizes into a direct questioning of her life's choice.
Highlights the genesis of her conscious discontent.
“Charles’s conversation was commonplace as a street pavement, and everyone’s ideas trooped through it in their everyday garb, without exciting emotion, laughter, or thought.”
Charles's talk is utterly dull and predictable, offering no intellectual or emotional stimulation.
Explicit critique of Charles's character as a source of Emma's misery.
“But as the intimacy of their life became deeper, the greater became the gulf that separated her from him.”
The more time they spent together, the more emotionally distant Emma felt.
Describes the paradoxical effect of marital proximity.
“It was one habit among other habits, and, like a dessert, looked forward to after the monotony of dinner.”
Charles's marital affections are merely a routine, expected but not deeply felt.
Reduces romance to a mechanical, scheduled event.