Berthe only appears a few times in Flaubert's Madame Bovary and is too young to contribute much to the novel through her words or actions, but she is nonetheless extremely important to the novel. 'history. Emma's lack of maternal aptitude and her weakness of moral character are highlighted by Berthe's presence. Due to Berthe's young age and innocence, she is able to act as a foil to contrast Emma's immoral and self-righteous lifestyle. Berthe's main functions in the novel are to highlight the flaws in Emma's character as well as the consequences of her actions and to serve as a symbol of Emma's union with Charles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first reason for Berthe's inclusion in the novel is that Berthe's presence reveals Emma's maternal ineptitude. Flaubert makes it clear from the start that Emma Bovary is far from being the ideal mother. Although she's not completely opposed to the idea of ​​having a child, Emma views motherhood simply as a way to try something new and fuel the romantic fire within her. She cares little about her relationship with her child. At the start of her pregnancy, Emma showed little interest in becoming a mother. Charles, however, convinced her through his continued enthusiasm about their future parenting that it would be an interesting experience (902). Although Emma views parenthood as something new and fascinating, she fails to show true love for her child for the rest of her life. Emma's reaction to the idea of ​​having a daughter reveals her selfish attitude. She wants a little boy who “would be strong and dark” and “free to choose his passions and the world” (902). Conversely, Emma herself certainly embodies this kind of freedom much more than her husband Charles. She wants a boy so he can live the passionate, romantic life she dreams of and tries to live for herself. Flaubert states that “a woman is continually thwarted” and that “there is always a desire that attracts, a convention that retains” (902). But Emma defies this restraint and chooses to give in to the temptation of Rodolphe and Lon. Although she proves that it is entirely possible for a woman to live a "free" life, Emma desires a son so much that she convinces herself that her child will be a boy. Upon learning that her child is a girl, her disappointment is so great that “she turned away her head and fainted” (902). Emma hasn't even thought of a name for her daughter yet because she was so confident that she would have a baby boy, demonstrating her desire not to experience the joys of motherhood, but rather to appease her own selfishness. She does not want the joy of having and raising a child, but rather a child through whom she can vicariously experience the same thrills she seeks in her own life. Berthe's existence constitutes a catalyst for Emma's relationship with Lon, and thus highlights another flaw in Emma's character: infidelity. It's on her way to visit her daughter that Emma takes the first of several walks with Lon. When Emma meets Lon on the way to the nurse's house, Lon begins to ask Emma if she would like his company. He stops, however, realizing the embarrassment that would be created if he accompanied another man's wife to visit his child. Emma, ​​however, is undeterred and asks Lon to accompany her, unbothered by the thought of losing her reputation. Throughout the visit, Lon's discomfort with the situation is evident, while Emma does not seem at all bothered by the fact that she is carrying the childof Charles in the company of another man. Even Berthe seems to realize her mother's faults when she vomits on Emma (904-905). Although this is common behavior among babies, it also indicates disgust at Emma's actions. Emma's selfishness and lack of interest in Berthe are further demonstrated again during her next affair when she plans to settle in Genoa with Rodolphe. Their desire for each other has become too great for them to stay apart, and Emma asks Rodolphe to run away with her. She didn't think about what would happen to her daughter until Rodolphe asked her: "And your little girl?" Emma pauses to think and then responds, “We’ll take him with us, it’s the only way” (967). Rather than doing everything she can to improve her daughter's life, Emma decides to drag Berthe along with her in order to satisfy her own illicit desires. Emma's maternal incompetence is further illustrated when she tires of Berthe's playful attempts to get closer to her and pushes the child so hard that she falls into a closet and cuts her face. When Charles arrives, Emma calmly tells him that Berthe “fell and hurt herself while playing” (919). Emma's gentle and quickly dissipated concern for her child once again demonstrates her selfishness. She seems more worried about appearing incompetent because Bertha was injured on her watch than about the fact that her child was injured. As Emma cares for Berthe in the evening after the girl is injured, she notices “what an ugly child [Berthe] is” (919). Far from being a typical maternal thought, this observation speaks to a tremendous lack of maternal love. This is another example of the same unnatural attitude that led to Berthe's injury. Instead of feeling tender compassion for her daughter, Emma feels only frustration and disgust. In addition to pointing out Emma's flaws, both as a person and a mother, Berthe constantly reminds Emma of her union with Charles. While packing her bags to move to Yonville, Emma discovers her wedding bouquet. She then throws this symbol of her marriage into the fireplace and watches it burn. After having demonstrated to what extent she deplores her marriage by destroying this fleeting icon of her union with Charles, Emma ironically obtains a much more lasting symbol. The chapter ends with the short and seemingly trivial sentence: “When they left Tostes in March, Madame Bovary was pregnant” (890). Although Emma's pregnancy receives little attention here, Berthe becomes a piquant reminder of Emma's bond with Charles later in the novel. Berthe acts as a symbol of Emma's marriage when Emma's relationship with Rodolphe leads to the discussion of running away together. Rodolphe asks Emma the question of what to do with Berthe. She replies that the child will have to accompany them; “it’s the only way” (967). Emma's struggle to realize her romantic ideals is underscored by the fact that the only way for her to pursue her passion for Rodolphe is to take with her a souvenir of her union with Charles. Finally, Berthe serves to accentuate the effects of Emma's love. attitudes and actions. This is especially evident after Emma's death. Shortly after the funeral, Berthe asks Charles where his mother is, and Charles replies that she is "traveling." Berthe “talks about it several more times, then little by little she forgets it” (1057), but Berthe will never recover from the effects of Emma's behavior. Berthe is doomed to a life of poverty by her mother's unacceptable lifestyle. Shortly after the death of her mother, Berthe found her father dead. In Charles' hand was the lock of hair he had taken from Emma after her death (1063). Flaubert thus brings together the death of Berthe's two parents, as if they were both lost...