Madame Bovary, Part 2, Chapter 9 summary
Part 2, Chapter 9 of 35 · 14 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 9, Rodolphe returns after six weeks and uses declarations of love and a horse ride to draw Emma into an affair, while Charles encourages the outing for her health. Emma celebrates her new identity as a lover, exchanges secret letters, and visits Rodolphe at dawn, until he warns that her visits are becoming dangerous.
What happens
- Rodolphe deliberately delays his return, then declares his love to Emma and proposes riding as a remedy for her health.
- During their ride, Rodolphe presses his advances despite Emma’s resistance, and she yields to him near a pond.
- Emma returns home transformed by the affair, while Charles tells her he has bought her a horse.
- The lovers meet again in the woods and begin exchanging letters through a crack in the garden wall.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Emma experiences the affair as fulfillment and revenge rather than a source of guilt. This confidence contrasts with Rodolphe’s closing warning about her visits.
Quick check
Where does Emma leave her letters for Rodolphe?
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