Madame Bovary, Part 3, Chapter 1 summary
Part 3, Chapter 1 of 35 · 20 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, Léon visits Emma at her inn, confesses his love, and wins another meeting despite her insistence that they remain friends. Emma writes a refusal but brings it herself to the cathedral, where her attempts to resist give way to a long cab ride with Léon behind closed blinds.
What happens
- After seeing Emma again following three years apart, Léon visits her inn and declares his love during a long private conversation.
- Emma rejects his advances but agrees to meet at the cathedral, then writes a letter canceling their meeting.
- Unable to address the letter, Emma brings it herself, withdraws it before Léon reads it, and tries to pray.
- Emma accepts the beadle’s cathedral tour, while Léon grows impatient and finally leads her outside.
- Léon persuades Emma to enter a cab, which travels for hours while a voice repeatedly orders the driver onward.
- A hand throws torn paper from the cab; around six, a veiled woman gets out in the Beauvoisine Quarter.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The narrator distinguishes their romantic declarations from their actual memories. Their shared image of suffering helps draw them together.
Quick check
Why does Emma decide to deliver her refusal letter herself?
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