Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary

by

Gustave Flaubert

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Madame Bovary makes teaching easy.
The lathe Symbol Icon
Emma wears blue when we first meet her, and in almost every other scene. Her dark hair and eyes have a bluish tint. She herself wants to become pure spirit. It is fitting, then, that the bottle of arsenic that really does change her from something to nothing is a pale, transparent blue.
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The lathe Symbol Timeline in Madame Bovary

The timeline below shows where the symbol The lathe appears in Madame Bovary. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2, Chapter 1
Abstraction, Fantasy, and Experience Theme Icon
Causes, Appearances, and Boredom Theme Icon
...these is Monsieur Binet, a crotchety, awkward tax collector whose greatest passion is working a lathe. He comes to the inn every day at six o’clock. (full context)