Flaubert’s distain and criticism of the new wealth in French society is very clear in this work of Madame Bovary. He critiques their inability to dress and behave property at fancy events. Emma Bovary her self represents the strong desires to be perceived as wealthy and to move up in class. When I was thinking about their wedding and how Flaubert comments on the people that addend and the extravagance of the wedding I was reminded of the Beverly Hillbillies.
My dad used to love this show and I can remember watching the movie with him when I was younger. The show was created in the 60’s and then made into a movie in 1993. It is a story about Jed Clampett who is a hillbilly living in Arkansas, one day when he is hutting his shoots at a rabbit. He misses the rabbit but shoots the ground, which causes an oil to come up from the ground. He has instantly become rich. They decided to move to Beverly Hills. He brings his whole family along, his daughter Elly May, Granny, Nephew Jethro. They all pile into the back of Jed truck and move to the big city. They buy a mansion and live among the rich and famous. The rest of the movie follows their adventures living as Hillbillies in Beverly Hills California.
What makes their story like those Flaubert critics is that they are not accustomed to the lifestyle of Beverly Hills; they have money but still act like they live in the country. After seeing this modern example, I think that Flaubert should be less critical. Today we think that money changes people, but the Beverly hillbillies are unchanged by their wealth. It is funny to see them eat road kill for dinner when they have enough money to own a five star restaurant or to see them not know how to use a bowling ball. But I guess Flaubert did not find the new wealth of his society to be funny.
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