Madame Bovary Rhetorical Analysis

Flaubert demonstrates Emma’s downward spiral through her posture and movements along with those imposed on her by others. Throughout Madame Bovary, Flaubert chooses and employs Emma’s specific positioning to serve as a lucid expression of the descending entrapment of her life’s decisions. Emma’s positioning refers to any bodily movement, expression or posture. These positionings reveal her various feelings of fear, desperation, seduction, and insecurity. These feelings appear through decisions she makes, situations in which she places herself, and directions she leads her life which reveal the downward spiral. Emma’s physical actions and postures depict inward fear as her posture in relation to others indicates her powerlessness. Emma’s positioning …show more content…
As Charles asks about Rodolphe, Emma begins choking and “by an effort of will the spasm passed . . . For she dreaded lest he should begin questioning her, attending to her, that she should not be left alone” (268). Emma overcomes, by an effort of will, a choking spasm because she does not want Charles to discover her affair with Rodolphe. Emma hurdles her choking through uncomfort because of Charles’ persistent nagging and aggravating about Rodolphe. She feels very insecure about her relationship with Rodolphe and made sure to avoid major discomfort by overcoming insecurity. While Leon discusses his awaiting Emma, “Madame Bovary turned away her head that he might not see the irrepressible smile she felt rising to her lips . . . Crossing her arms and bending down her face” (304-305). In this scenario, Emma does not want Leon to see her facial expressions because she has insecurities about her reactions to his profession of love. Leon induces her posture of insecurity because he discusses his love for Emma, which she perceives differently than him. The actions of others impact Emma’s positioning of insecurity because of the way those actions make her