Emma Bovary finds life as the wife of a small-town doctor, Charles, to be insufferably dull. Young and impetuous, with a strong sense of entitlement, she naively believes that she can find an exciting escape through sexual affairs with other men. Emma’s youthful passion leads her to confuse romance with sex, and she soon becomes ensnared in a meaningless relationship with an older man. Emma also seeks comfort through materialism, convincing herself that she deserves nice things. She proves to be greedy as well as gullible, and frequently demonstrates her lack of foresight as to the possible consequences of her actions.

Emma is not an introspective person. Her lack of insight into her own motivations is combined with her disappointment at her husband’s professional problems. Emma’s deep-seated emotional coldness renders her incapable of empathizing with or supporting Charles. She turns to another lover, Leo, mistaking his demands for affection. Her craving for superficial displays of upward mobility, together with her gullibility, make her subject to manipulation as she borrows ever-larger sums of money. She sees no recourse but to enter the sex trade, which contributes to her downfall.

Emma’s lack of foresight and selfishness are also evident in her callous disregard for her daughter. When she decides to give all for love and run off with Leo, he changes his mind. Feeling desperate and trapped, she takes her own life by drinking poison.