The Influence Of Romantic Ideas Toward Emma and Its Effects To Her Life In Flaubert's Madame Bovary

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of romantic ideas on Emma Bovary and their effects on her life in Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary. The novel portrays Emma as a woman whose expectations of love, marriage, and happiness are strongly influenced by romantic literature and idealized images of life. Dissatisfied with the reality of her marriage and social environment, Emma attempts to pursue the passionate and luxurious existence she imagines. However, the contrast between her romantic ideals and everyday reality leads her to experience disappointment, emotional conflict, and destructive consequences.

This study employs a qualitative descriptive method using a literary psychological approach. The primary data consist of words, phrases, sentences, dialogues, and narrative passages from the novel that reveal Emma’s romantic ideas, desires, and responses to her experiences. The data are collected through close reading and documentation, then classified according to the research objectives. The analysis focuses on the origins of Emma’s romantic expectations, their influence on her perceptions and decisions, and the consequences of those decisions for her marriage, relationships, financial circumstances, and personal well-being. Relevant concepts of romanticism and characterization are used to support the interpretation.

This study is expected to demonstrate that romantic ideas shape Emma’s expectations of an ideal life and influence her dissatisfaction with ordinary domestic experience. Her pursuit of passion, luxury, and emotional fulfillment encourages her to make choices that deepen her personal and financial difficulties. The study also explores how Flaubert presents the tension between romantic fantasy and social reality through Emma’s experiences. Ultimately, the analysis seeks to explain how unrealistic expectations can affect individual judgment and contribute to personal tragedy.