We have discussed Flaubert's use of free indirect discourse in Madame Bovary. (For a reminder, here's a helpful link: http://everything2.com/title/Free%2520Indirect%2520Discourse) Cite a passage from the novel that illustrates the use of free indirect discourse and briefly explain how the author makes use of this narrative technique. (You may wish to use this link -- http://www.online-literature.com/gustave-flaubert/madame-bovary/ -- to access the text in order to simply copy and paste a passage. Be forewarned, however, that the translation is not the Lowell Bair translation that we've been using.)
11 comments:
"At the bottom of her heart, however, she was waiting for something to happen. Like shipwrecked sailors, she turned despairing eyes upon the solitude of her life, seeking afar off some white sail in the mists of the horizon. She did not know what this chance would be, what wind would bring it her, towards what shore it would drive her, if it would be a shallop or a three-decker, laden with anguish or full of bliss to the portholes. But each morning, as she awoke, she hoped it would come that day; she listened to every sound, sprang up with a start, wondered that it did not come; then at sunset, always more saddened, she longed for the morrow."-pg. 54; Chapter 9; Part I
This quote demonstrates free indirect discourse because Flaubert lapses into Emma's individual thoughts despite the presence of a narrator. He communicates how Emma is "lost at sea," drowning in the depths of her boredom. The reader realizes Emma's necessity for emotion through the incorporation of vivid imagery depicting oceans, horizons, and ships. Touch, possibly the most pleasing sense to Romantics like Emma, is also extracted from the mention of wind and mist. The shift from Emma's perspective to that of the narrator occurs at "But every morning when she awoke..." Rather than explain Emma's inner turmoil, the narrator describes her physical behavior in response to that certain something she awaited...
"Towards the end of February old Rouault, in memory of his cure, himself brought his son-in-law a superb turkey, and stayed three days at Tostes. Charles being with his patients, Emma kept him company. He smoked in the room, spat on the firedogs, talked farming, calves, cows, poultry, and municipal council, so that when he left she closed the door on him with a feeling of satisfaction that surprised even herself. Moreover she no longer concealed her contempt for anything or anybody, and at times she set herself to express singular opinions, finding fault with that which others approved, and approving things perverse and immoral, all of which made her husband open his eyes widely.
Would this misery last for ever? Would she never issue from it? Yet she was as good as all the women who were living happily. She had seen duchesses at Vaubyessard with clumsier waists and commoner ways, and she execrated the injustice of God. She leant her head against the walls to weep; she envied lives of stir; longed for masked balls, for violent pleasures, with all the wildness that she did not know, but that these must surely yield." Part 1 Chap 9 Pg 57
This shows free indirect discourse because at first the narrator describes exactly what has been happening on a day to day account. It talks about how Emma has been treating other people, but then it goes to inside of her head and it asks the questions that Emma would be asking herself. The narrator places you inside of Emma's head without really putting the dialogue onto Emma. It is clear to the reader that Emma feels miserable and shows once again how Emma would love to be living a life that is different than her own.
"When Charles came home at night her long, thin arms would emerge from beneath the covers and twine around his neck; after making him sit down on the edge of the bed, she would begin to tell him of her woes: he was neglecting her, he was in love with another woman! She should have listened when people warned her she'd be unhappy! And then she would end by asking him for some kind of tonic to make her feel better, and a little more love." ~ Part 1, chapter 1, page 9, the last sentences.
I love this quote; it really illustrates how serpentine Heloise is, with her long, thin arms wrapping around Charles neck. Of course, the free indirect discourse part of this section is the nagging that follows. It paints Heloise to be a miserable, suspicious creature who thinks that she is being "neglected", just because her expectations and demands are so high. I have so much respect for Charles because he is able to put up with that thing! All she does is boss him around, rule over his life, and somehow finds some injustice in being unsatisfied; honestly, this is Charles we're talking about, of course he's not going to be able to please her every whim. Poor guy, being forced to submit to her demands of "a little more love." Eww, I think he deserves a medal for doing THAT. He was probably as unhappy with his first wife as Emma was with him!
"How was it that she--she, who was so intelligent--could have allowed herself to be deceived again? and through what deplorable madness had she thus ruined her life by continual sacrifices? She recalled all her instincts of luxury, all the privations of her soul, the sordidness of marriage, of the household, her dream sinking into the mire like wounded swallows; all that she had longed for, all that she had denied herself, all that she might have had! And for what? for what?" -pg 150 Part II Chp 11
This quote illustrates Flaubert's use of free indirect discourse because you get a chance to look into Emma's mind without the use of direct quotations. You can see just how angry Emma is for allowing herself to believe that Charles could be someone she actually loved. The last lines "And for what? for what?" show the extreme aggravation Emma is feeling with her life in general. The next paragraph starts the sentence ..."a piercing shriek suddenly rent the air." This abruptly changes the perspective from Emma's thoughts back to the narrator.
"He had given Emma his arm; she leaned on his shoulder a little and looked up at the faraway disk of the sun flooding the mist with its dazzling pallor. Then she turned her head: Charles was there. his cap was pulled down to his eyebrows, and his thick lips were quivering, which added a certain stupidity to his face; even his back, his placid back, was irritating to look at: it was as though she could see all his dullness spread across his coat." pg. 83 Pt. II Chap. IV
In this passage, Flaubert utilizes free indirect discourse by assuming the tone and feelings of Emma. By doing so, he can convey, without using direct quotations, her thoughts on her husband Charles. Specifically, this paragraph consists of a rather mean attack on Charles. The passage starts out as a regular narration, in which Flaubert describes how Charles gives Emma his arm, she turns away, and he then pulls his cap down. The description turns into commentary when Flaubert remarks Charles's quivering lips add a certain stupidity to his face. Also,his placid back is irritating to look at and his dullness could be seen spread out across all of his back. The aforementioned commentary is the indirect embodiment of how the character Emma finds her husband Charles: stupid, irritating, and dull.
She leant against the embrasure of the window, and reread the letter with angry sneers. But the more she fixed her attention upon it, the more confused were her ideas. She saw him again, heard him, encircled him with her arms, and throbs of her heart, that beat against her breast like blows of a sledge-hammer, grew faster and faster, with uneven intervals. She looked about her with the wish that the earth might crumble into pieces. Why not end it all? What restrained her? She was free. She advanced, looking at the paving-stones, saying to herself, "Come! come!"Part II Chapter 13
This quote is able to display the intense emotions that have overcome Emma. She is clearly so distraught over the letter that was written by Rodolph. The thoughts running through her mind are dramatic and she thinks that this is all worth dying over. Flaubert has a great capture on Emma's heart and world and how it has been completely turned upside down.
"She was seized with apprehension, and as she sought in her pocket for some coppers, she looked at the peasant with haggard eyes, while he himself looked at her with amazement, not understanding how such a present could so move anyone. At last he went out. Felicite remained. She could bear it no longer; she ran into the sitting room as if to take the apricots there, overturned the basket, tore away the leaves, found the letter, opened it, and, as if some fearful fire were behind her, Emma flew to her room terrified.
Charles was there; she saw him; he spoke to her; she heard nothing, and she went on quickly up the stairs, breathless, distraught, dumb, and ever holding this horrible piece of paper, that crackled between her fingers like a plate of sheet-iron. On the second floor she stopped before the attic door, which was closed.
Then she tried to calm herself; she recalled the letter; she must finish it; she did not dare to. And where? How? She would be seen! "Ah, no! here," she thought, "I shall be all right."
Part 2 Chapter 13
This illustrates free indirect discourse because Flaubert starts off by explaining what's happening in the scene: Emma receives a letter from Rodolphe. Flaubert then describes her feelings, and emotions, as she's racing to open and read the letter. He increasingly becomes more involved in the passage, as if he can feel her emotions as they become stronger. It's as almost as she's talking, not the narrator, because of the "rush" of the situation. Finally, Flaubert ends with direct thoughts from her, which is the free indirect discourse. Flaubert hardly seems like the narrator anymore; it is Emma's direct thoughts that are coming out. This does an effective job of interpreting the scene from Emma's perspective, especially because it is an emotionally crushing occurrence.
Well, before I add this next quote, I just want to comment on how fantastically well my description of Heloise in my previous quote also matches with Emma; I can't believe that I didn't see it earlier! Anyway, here's my quote:
"Thus, lending at six percent, plus his commission, and adding a mark-up of at least one-third to the cost of the merchandise, the whole transaction would yield a profit of 130 francs in twelve months; and he hoped the matter would not stop there, that Charles would be unable to pay the notes and would therefore have to renew them, and that finally his poor money, having been nourished in the doctor's house as in a sanitorium, would come back to him considerably plumper, fat enough to burst the bag" Act 2, chapter 14, p 183
This would be Lheureux's thoughts after Charles asks him for the loan. Notice that the only period in this whole passage is at the very end; its one huge run-on. This demonstrates Lheureux's thinking at this time: his thoughts are racing with so much excitement that I'm surprised his clogged arteries don't burst. It really does show off his true evilness to the reader; that he is hoping to make even more money off of Charles' misfortunes. Lheureux is one of my favorites, he has a cool name and he's the smart villain; he's a really nice guy who wants bleed the money out all of his victims. He's secretly evil, like me (just kidding, kind of). The image of a fat, leaky money bag, walking back to his master is also priceless (no pun intended). I can picture Lheureux as that money bag, growing fat off other people's hard work. I think that the actor who played Polonius (from when we went to see the Hamlet play) should play him in a movie; that would be perfect.
"She hoped for a son; he would be strong and dark; she would call him George; and this idea of having a male child was like an expected revenge for all her impotence in the past. A man, at least, is free; he can explore all passions and all countries, overcome obstacles, taste of the most distant pleasures. But a woman is always hampered. Being inert as well as pliable, she has against her the weakness of the flesh and the inequity of the law. Like the veil held to her hat by a ribbon, her will flutters in every breeze; she is always drawn by some desire, restrained by some rule of conduct." Part II Chapter 3
Through this quote, we hear Emma's thoughts about her desire to have a son through free and direct discourse. However, Flaubert also uses Emma's voice to share his own feelings about feminism. The passage claims that a woman is powerless not only over her financial -situation, but also over her emotions. Emma's hopes for a son -represent a reimagination of her own identity. She will enact her revenge through a male heir with access to opportunities that have been denied her.
"But finally they had to part. Their farewells were sad. She told him to write to her in care of Madame Rollet, and she gave him such precise instructions with regard to the double envelopes he was to use that he greatly admired her amorous guile.
"Are you sure everything's all right?" she asked as they kissed for the last time.
"Yes, of course!" he replied.
"But why," he wondered as he walked back alone through the streets, "is she so set on getting that power of attorney?""
page 222; chapter 3; part 3
This shows free indirect discourse because it displays Emma leaving her relgious views for sure once again. This time she is so involved with her affair that she has even devised a plan so that they can't get caught. But in this quotation it also shows that she still has work to get done. Even though she has a firey passionate relationship with her lover, she still doesn't tell him what is going on with the attorney, and just mentions that she needs him. She isn't completely open with Leon, she is still taking care of things at home. It shows that even though she is weak, she will still take care of her duties at home, for now anyways.
"Emma was seized with a vague fear at this shyness, more dangerous to her than the boldness of Rodolphe when he advanced to her open-armed. No man had ever seemed to her so beautiful. An exquisite candour emanated from his being. He lowered his long fine eyelashes, that curled upwards. His cheek, with the soft skin reddened, she thought, with desire of her person, and Emma felt an invincible longing to press her lips to it. Then, leaning towards the clock as if to see the time--"
this scene is in part three chapter one in the seduction in the chapel. this shows indirect discourse because along with this passage the entire piece in the chapel is seen through 3 different views to make the scene more intense. you see the scene from emmas eyes, from leons eyes, and from the narrator. this passage especially shows how Flaubert expresses emmas deepest thoughts and feelings.
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