First LoT book club discussion: Madame Bovary

[Ghoulish Delight]

The way she was written, happiness wasn't an option. No reallity could ever live up to her fantasy. I'll never find it, but there was a line early on that said as much. Something about "she was mistaking romance for happiness" (it was thousands of times more inciteful than that, I should have written it down).

I'm wondering, given Emma's situation, what any of you thought she should have done?

Her "situation" was of her own making. She was too busy being lost in her unrealistic notions to figure out that she had as close to those notions as she'd ever get,a should ever need. A husband who doted on her, social status and a reasonable financial situation. All the relationship needed was for her to take a bit of responsibility for its health and communicate her needs to Charles, let him know that he was becoming a bit too predictable. She never made the effort. Not that he's off the hook for being a freaking door mat, but in the early stages of the marriage, he certainly couldn't be accused of not putting the effort in. If anyone one was in a "what else could they have done" situation, it was him, seeing as she made sure to pretend everything was just fine when in fact she was unhappy. She had all the input she needed to adjust her behavior for her own happiness. Not Charles, she was witholding what he needed to know from him.