# III explained — Madame Bovary

> Chapter companion for Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

## What happens

Emma and Léon spend three idyllic days in Rouen, a 'true honeymoon' of romantic escapism. They isolate themselves in a hotel, dine on an island, and share intimate moments in nature, which seems newly beautiful to them. Their return boat trip is marked by poetic moonlight and a song from Emma, but is interrupted by the boatman's story of a previous, boisterous client—implicitly Rodolphe—which causes Emma to shiver. The chapter ends with their sorrowful parting and Léon's puzzled reflection on Emma's urgent need for a power of attorney.

## Themes in this chapter

### Romanticism vs. Reality

The chapter is a sustained enactment of romantic fantasy—the secluded hotel, poetic moonlit boat ride, and idealized nature. This bubble is punctured by the crude reality of the boatman's story and the practical, ominous need for a power of attorney.

### Illusion and Self-Deception

Emma and Léon believe their happiness has transformed the world, making nature seem to 'have only begun to be beautiful.' Their entire tryst is a constructed illusion, which Emma tries to protect through secret letters and legal maneuvering.

## Character check-ins

### Emma Bovary

Deeply immersed in a romantic fantasy with Léon, finding transcendent beauty in nature. Her mood is shattered by the boatman's anecdote, hinting at her past with Rodolphe. She is anxiously focused on securing a power of attorney from Léon.

### Léon Dupuis

Enraptured by Emma and the romantic setting, comparing her to a vision. He is compliant with her plans but left alone and confused by her specific, urgent demand for legal authority.

### Mère Rollet

Mentioned as the intermediary for Emma and Léon's secret correspondence, playing a practical role in their affair.

### Rodolphe Boulanger

Not physically present, but his ghost is invoked by the boatman's description of a previous, lively passenger with small moustaches, which visibly affects Emma.

## Key lines

> It was not the first time that they had seen trees, a blue sky, meadows... but, no doubt, they had never admired all this, as if Nature had not existed before, or had only begun to be beautiful since the gratification of their desires.

Their physical passion makes the ordinary natural world seem newly magnificent, as if created just for them.

_Highlights the subjective, self-centered nature of their romantic experience._

> "Perhaps it belongs to the party I took out the other day. A lot of jolly folk, gentlemen and ladies... There was one especially, a tall handsome man with small moustaches..."

The boatman recalls a previous, merry group, singling out a man matching Rodolphe's description.

_An intrusion of Emma's past into her present fantasy, causing her visible distress._

> "But why," he thought afterwards as he came back through the streets alone, "is she so very anxious to get this power of attorney?"

Léon walks home alone, puzzled and uneasy about the legal favor Emma so urgently requested.

_Foreshadows the financial machinations and desperation that will drive the plot forward._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-iii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/madame_bovary_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters