Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

In what ways do the theme of Illusion and reality affect the life of the characters in the two novels, Madame Bovary and The Doctors Wife?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE English World literature (SL) In what ways do the theme of Illusion and reality affect the life of the characters in the two novels, Madame Bovary and The Doctor?s Wife? In comparing the two novels Madame Bovary and The Doctor?s wife, there is a common recurring theme of illusion, which plays a crucial role in the impending conflict that occurs later and consequently leads to the tragic events. Illusion in both the cases seems to be the perfect way to escape and to ignore the pain of reality. Emma is self-centered and if she wants something she will do anything to get it. Even though she has many barriers like the societal expectations and the fact that she is married to a man that is far different from the man of her dreams, she secretly tries to live her dreams by indulging in adulterous affairs with numerous men. These escapades of adulterous affairs throw light on her extreme dissatisfaction with her life. ?Emma dressed with the meticulous care of an actress making her debut?.[1] Emma desires an exotic and luxurious life; one of her happiest moments is when she attends a grand ball. ...read more.

Middle

When she suffers from this pain she realizes the difference between the life of her illusion and the reality as the way she selected to end her life without any pain caused her immense pain and the man she thought she?ll never be able to live happily with loved her the way she always wanted to be loved and the adultery in which she was involved and thought would change her life, will make her happy and get her a man the qualities she always wanted was not able to keep her happy for a long time. Emma in not the only person in this novel who lives in the world of illusion. Even Charles faces the same problem as according to him, he and Emma are happily married whereas he is unaware of Emma?s adultery. As Charles lives under this illusion nothing gets better between Charles and Emma because according to him she is happy with him. He never completely accepts the fact that she is not happy with him. He thinks she is satisfied with her life and they are living cheerfully together. ...read more.

Conclusion

When she first saw her she doesn?t get chance to talk to her that?s the reason she doesn?t know about her nature, the only thing she gets to see is her beauty. Otsugi and Kae both wanted to sacrifice themselves because they both thought that through sacrifice they would earn the respect, love and attention of Hanaoka. They thought that this is an opportunity to get a higher position in the house whereas after the experiment Hanaoka is the one who gets the whole credit, recognition and respect. Kae, who thought she would get a better position in the house, was left with the devastating results of the new anesthetic. They were ready to sacrifice themselves because they were under illusion that whoever sacrifices will become important to Hanaoka. They were unaware that it might have devastating effects on them. This illusion helps reader to understand why they did everything to make Hanaoka test his anesthetic on them because its difficult for the reader to take the fact that someone is ready to risk their lives just to get Hanaoka?s attention. In both the novels, the illusion gets between the solutions of almost all the problems. It?s the illusion which hide?s the imperfection. Characters don?t get to see the imperfection and that?s the reason they don?t do anything to improve it. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate World Literature section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related International Baccalaureate World Literature essays

  1. Peer reviewed

    Comparison of emma and charls in madame bovary

    4 star(s)

    She dreams of the extreme forms of love and wealth in her life, ignoring every positive aspect there is, she doesn't even see positive aspects in the world around her. An example of this way of being would be when they went to la Vaubyessard, the home of the Marquis d'Andervillers for a feast held by one of Charles' patients.

  2. Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary

    At the time of her death, the truth is exposed "In his eyes she read a love such as she had never known before."Part3, Chapter 8 Emma had not realized that Charles was capable of such feeling.

  1. "Glass Menagerie" and "The Final Passage". Compare and Contrast ways in which you consider ...

    In both texts, the theme of escape is primarily explored through the absent fathers of the texts and the effects their absence has on the lives of their family. Tom's father leaving the Wingfields sets a precedent for Tom's escape by presenting the illusion of a successful escape, but Tom

  2. Carol Ann Duffy attacks men in The Worlds Wife

    The end focus on the question reflects the changing balance of power between the couple as he now questions her. The line 'snipping first at the black and biblical air' is very knowing - as well as cutting her lover's hair, the speaker is attempting to shred her reputation as a femme fatale, which originated in the biblical account.

  1. To what extent does Guy de Maupassant show sympathy for Madame Loisel in 'The ...

    desire? and ?looked at herself in rapture.? Though she has many jewels to choose from, she chose to wear, at least to her, the most expensive necklace. Even later on, Madame Loisel?s character is still prideful. However, this time, she is proud for a ifferent reason.

  2. Tricksters, an Escape From Reality

    Don't look, or you too will die." They began to dance once more, and one by one Coyote drew them out of the dance circle and killed them. At last, one of the ducks became suspicious and opened his eyes.

  1. How does Madame Bovary use the motif of food as a class signifier?

    Nevertheless her licking of the glass has the opposite effect on Charles who does find her alluring once again highlighting his disregard for social class yet in relation to Furst?s claim, he proves that he does have an imagination and is attracted by Emma?s seductive demeanour.

  2. Stereotyping in Literature - 4 modern American novels concerned with ethnic identity.

    Native American Alcoholism, social outcast; dichotomy between drunken "Injun," and escaping the reservation for the promised land of the White Belonging to a tribe (group) and overcoming negatives from White culture Invisible Man, 1953, Ralph Ellison African-American stereotyping during early 20th century; "Jim Crow," the shiftless Black who stumbles from

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work