Madame Bovary, Chapter 4 summary

What happens

1. Relatives and friends arrive in varied clothes and vehicles, then walk to the ceremonies and return behind a fiddler.
2. The guests feast under the cart shed, admire an elaborate dessert centerpiece, and continue celebrating into the night.
3. Old Rouault stops a cousin’s wedding prank, while Madame Bovary senior resents her exclusion from the preparations.
4. The next day, Charles openly seeks Emma’s company and embraces her, while she gives observers no clear sign of her feelings.
5. Two days after the wedding, the couple leaves, and old Rouault’s farewell brings memories of his own wife and son.
6. The couple reaches Tostes, where neighbors watch and the servant suggests Emma inspect the house.

In this chapter

What to notice

The comparison captures Rouault’s loneliness after Emma leaves. It shifts attention from the crowded celebration to the private pain of separation.

Quick check