Madame Bovary Research Paper
In Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, the characters Leon Dupuis and Rodolphe Boulanger portion similar properties every bit good as contrasting 1s. The similarity and contrasting features of their personalities are illustrated through their actions, words, every bit good as by the comments made by the other characters in the novel refering them. Leon and Rodolphe are both admired by their equals, and they are both lovers of Madame Bovary, nevertheless, the resemblance ends at that place.
Leon’s personality is the exact antonym of Rodolphe? s. Leon is low, unassertive, and compassionate, while Rodolphe is disdainful, grim, and obdurate. Leon’s modestness, shyness, and kindness are depicted through Flaubert’s description of him. “ [ Leon ] was shy by nature, with the kind of modesty made up of both modesty and deception.
” Flaubert besides makes it apparent that Leon is good liked and admired by others. “In Yonville, it was found that he had “ really elegant ” manners [ ? . ] Monsieur Homais valued him for his instruction, and Madame Homais was fond of him for his friendliness since he frequently took the kids to the garden. ” Leon is besides really timid and has trouble showing his feelings towards Emma.
Leon “ tortured himself to detect how he could declare his feelings to her [ . ] ” “ Leon, between the fright of being indiscreet and the desire for an familiarity that he imagined about impossible, did non cognize how to continue. ” Rodolphe, in contrast to Leon, is bold, ruthless, craft, and oblique. Rodolphe is “ heartless and highly intelligent.
He is besides a really “ experient ” adult male ; “ he had spent a batch of clip in female company, and was really knowing about adult females. ” He is so captive on doing Emma his that “ [ he? ll ] be bled, if [ he has ] to. ” Rodolphe uses assorted gambits to seek and court Emma. He attempts to pull strings her by spiting forth sweet prevarications and portraying to be a raphetic, miserable man in order to gain her affections.
Rodolphe claims that he “arose and came [to Emma?s house] every night [?.and] little did [she] guess what was there, so near and yet so far, a poor miserable-” Leon?s love for Madame Bovary is actually genuine, unlike Rodolphe?s. Emma “continually rose in his heart, detaching herself from it in the magnificent manner of a goddess soaring to heaven.” Leon expresses to Emma how his mind is always thinking of her and the countless times he had visited her home.
Leon recalls every single minute detail concerning Emma, the clothes she wore, and the furniture in her room.He exclaims that “he had loved her at first sight and he was in despair when he realized the happiness he would have had if, by the grace of fate, they had met earlier and been indissolubly bound to each other.” Unlike Leon, Rodolphe?s love for Emma is purely feigned. Emma is simply another mistress to Rodolphe, a passing fancy.
He has no feelings for Emma at all and “When he was sure of being loved, he stopped trying to please her, and his ways changed imperceptibly. He no longer used words so sweet that they made her cry[?.]nor were his caresses so ardent that they drove her mad.” Rodolphe soon became disinterested in Emma, and she “resembled all his old mistresses, and the charm of novelty, falling away little by little like articles of clothing, revealed in all its nakedness the eternal monotony of passion.
” In this manner, Leon and Rodolphe are -depicted as two characters with similar and contrasting qualities. The juxtaposition of their differing personalities aid in adding distinction and emphasizing their personalities. In juxtaposing Rodolphe to Leon, Rodolphe?s true character can be seen. He is a manipulating, lying, duplicitous individual, while in contrast, Leon is a kindhearted, sincere, meek individual.
Their contrasting and yet similar attributes accentuate the other character?s disposition.
