There are many different stylistic elements used throughout the novel Madame Bovary written by Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert uses techniques such as detailed descriptions, symbolism, and others. These techniques are important in analyzing the novel of Madame Bovary as a whole and in understanding the several themes and motifs.
In the analytical essay "A Pox on Love: Diagnosing Madame Bovary's Blind Beggar,"" author Mary Donaldson-Evans explores the relationship between Gustave Flaubert's "preoccupation with language and penchant for the medical metaphor-(3). In particular, she investigates Fluebert's most perplexing allegorical character, the blind beggar. Within her essay Evans proposes to substantiate the beggar's role by "pinpoint[ing] the beggar's position [with]in the complex network of relationships connecting the characters-(4).
Evans' review of the beggar's emblematic significance to the story's characters and themes gives a more in-depth revelation of Emma's tragedy. Through her analysis of the biographical and historical data of France during the 18th century, diagnosis of the beggar's illness, and illumination of his relation to Flaubert's linguistic project, Evans presents a unique perspective on Flaubert's writing style, and stances on the various political, social, and religious values of France during the 19th century. .
For Evans, the blind beggar represents a picture of physical decay. He is also the deformed, repulsive creature who, throughout the book, symbolizes Emma's moral corruption. He sings songs about "birds and sunshine and green leaves- in a voice "like inarticulate lament of some vague despair-(Flaubert 76). This coupling of innocence with disease relates to the combination of beauty and corruption that Emma herself has become. While her words, appearance, and fantasies are those of an innocent and beautiful wife, her sprit becomes foul and corrupt as she indulges herself in adulterous temptations and the deceptions required to maintain her illicit affairs.
