In everyday life, a person’s character is revealed not only by himself but also by the way that he or she treats others. In Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, both heroines are introduced as strong women, but as the story progresses, their character flaws get the best of them. The male characters which influence the heroines in Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina parallel each other and are used as characterization tools by the authors of each work. By examining various male figures in each novel, similarities in the women are detected and clarify how the result of their adventures is inevitably the same.

Charles Bovary and Alexey Karenin are the main victims of Emma Bovary and Anna Karenina’s affairs, respectively. The characterization of these men highlights the great character flaw shared by both Anna and Emma: their inability to cope with “ordinary life”. In Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Anna is involved in an unfulfilling relationship with Karenin in that she is restless by their monotonous relationship, and is looking for something more. “The Karenins, husband and wife, continued living in the same house; they met

Emma has lowered herself financially to that of the blind beggar, but refuses to admit so. She feels that by giving her last penny to the man, she is showing that she has not sunk to the blind man’s level, and that she is still as prestigious as she always was. Aside from their primary role of foreshadowing, the blind beggar and the bearded peasant give the readers a better idea of the heroines’ characters and values.

This further classifies both of their characters as being needy, and always needing to be reassured of their importance in others lives’; this poses slight irony. It is ironic because with Karenin and Charles, they both love their wives undoubtedly but Anna and Emma are bored by it; however concerning Vronsky and Rodolphe, the women are annoyed and offended by the lack of attention, but keep persisting; it is in essence, a game for them. These two relationships in their entirety are based on jealousy, persistence and neediness, which is a major factor in the downfall of the heroines.

This passage explains the extent that Charles was affected with her death. He loved her so much after her death and could not fathom why she would have committed suicide. Her death eventually led to Charles’ death, so in the end, she got exactly what she wanted: a romantic tragedy, just like the novels that she read.

Some topics in this essay:
Anna Emma, Madame Bovary, Bovary Emma, Similarly Anna, La Vaubyessard, Anna Karenina, Vronsky Rodolphe, Charles Karenin, Karenin Charles, Karenina Anna, madame bovary, anna karenina, anna emma, character flaws, bovary anna, committed suicide, karenina madame bovary, anna karenina madame, male figures, karenina madame, madame bovary anna, blind beggar, karenin charles, madame bovary emma, jealousy persistence neediness,