Symbolism in Madame Bovary. By: Gustave Flaubert

<Tab/>In the novel Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert displays through the use of symbolism the moral corruption that eventually consumes Emma's being. Flaubert uses a combination of characters and objects to illustrate her impending downfall. At a young age, she harbors idealistic romantic illusions, longs for sophistication, sensuality, and passion, and descends into fits of extreme boredom and depression when her life fails to match the romantic novels she treasures.
<Tab/>Emma's bourgeois aspirations set her up to later be disappointed by Charles' unpolished…