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In the novel Madame Bovary, Rodolphe wants to seduce Emma. He attempts
the seduction at the fair and then goes away for six weeks. Rodolphe
believes that this will make her desire him more. When he returns,
they go horseback riding together and this starts the affair. Emma
begins to sneak out of her home in the morning after Charles leaves for
work.
Public: Emma maintains her public appearance during the fair by
denying Rodolphe's first attempt to seduce her. During the fireworks
show, Emma stands with Charles and rests her head on his shoulder.
When Rodolphe asks her to go horseback riding, she denies him at first
because she is afraid people will talk. Once Rodolphe thinks that
people will see her go into his house, he worries that the affair will
be found out. He tells Emma that he does not want her to compromise
herself so she should stop coming over.
Private: At the fair, when Emma and Rodolphe are alone, he grabs
her hand and she does not withdraw it. At the firework show, while
with Charles, Emma is secretly thinking about Rodolphe and how this might
be her chance to engage in a romance. Rodolphe goes
to Emma's house after his return and when they are alone he tells her he
loves her. When they are on the horseback ride together, she gives
herself to him because he sweeps her away like the characters in the novels she reads. Emma sneaks out of her
home many times so that they could be alone. |