Character Overview
The character of Monsieur Lheureux in Flaubert’s Madame Bovary exemplifies several qualities, including meanness and a willingness to transgress moral norms in pursuit of enrichment. At the first mention in the novel, this character is portrayed as kind to Madame Bovary, having “had tried to console her” after Emma’s dog escaped. In the description of Lheureux’s background, special attention is focused on his traits: “he grafted upon his southern volubility the cunning of the Cauchois.” In the context of appearance, Lheureux features a fat, beardless face and white hair that emphasizes his sparkling, small black eyes.
Cunning
Monsieur Lheureux’s behavior throughout the novel corresponds to the first description of his personality, which emphasizes his cunning. For instance, he displays pretended kindness and humor when he tells Madame Bovary that his commodities cost “a mere nothing” and jokes that he “has always got on with ladies” except his wife. In addition, this character uses the “advantage of the circumstances to make his bill larger” during Emma’s illness to sell more goods under the pretext of concern for Madame Bovary. In this way, the merchant exploits false benevolence to establish a positive perception of his personality and obtain a direct profit.
As the story progresses, his nature is revealed more in the landlady’s words, who describes him as “a wheedler, a sneak. This description coincides with Lheureux’s conduct, as evidenced by his words, “What a superb day! Everybody is out! The wind is east!” he said to enter the conversation. Therefore, Monsieur Lheureux appears to be a cunning person who tries to establish a positive impression of himself and to enter into the trust of others.
Profit-Oriented
Throughout the plot, Monsieur Lheureux reveals his personality through his behavior and actions. In addition to being cunning, this character displays a willingness to address financial issues by any means necessary, reflected in his demanding a bill of exchange from Bovary by “threatening and whining.” Furthermore, Monsieur Lheureux’s words, “I must have some money,” when requesting payment of Emma’s bill, illustrate that this character can be straightforward in financial matters.
Cruel
Despite demonstrating his meanness and willingness to confront for profit, Lheureux continues to portray a desire to help others with their problems. It is evident in the phrase “is that not helping you?” that Lheureux told Emma about divesting her property to cover the debts. In this way, the merchant demonstrates impudence as he distinguishes himself as someone striving to help Emma while pursuing enrichment by exploiting Madame Bovary’s financial difficulties.
The cruelty of this character is evident after he achieves his intended purposes, as seen in the trivial phrase “What do I care?” in response to Madame Bovary’s requests to suspend the proceedings and in the manner in which he “pushed her gently towards the staircase.” The quintessential demonstration of this character’s cynicism and cunning is the reference to Emma as “such a good woman” during her funeral. In addition, after Emma’s death, Lheureux remained determined and ruthless in achieving his goals, as he “refused to renew any more bills” for Charles, which led to the need to seize Bovary’s property. In general, this character reveals a strong desire to achieve his financial goals by any means necessary, culminating in a direct demonstration of his personality in pursuit of his interests.
Reference
Flaubert, G. (2021). Madame Bovary. Project Gutenberg.