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The dearth of substantial communication between Emma and Charles Bovary in Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert creates an impassable chasm that drives Emma to seek passion through adultry.
Emma's reluctance to confide in Charles stems from her elaborate romantic fantasies. She is utterly convinced that her life would resemble the empitome of perfection if only she were able to live in a luxurious country. "She might have wanted to confide all these things to someone. But how do you describe and intangible uneasiness that changes shape like a cloud and blows about like the wind?" (60) Emma Bovary is unsure about what she wants, but remains certain that she would be able to find it in a different setting. However, she cannot voice her yearnings to her new spouse. "as their life together increased in physical intimacy, she built up an emotional detachment that seperated her from him." (60)
From the onset of his marriage to Emma, Charles Bovary attempts to share the details of his life with his bride. He retells his encounters with patients and discusses varoius mundane elements of his day-to day existance. However, in the eyes of his spouse, "Charles conversation was as flat as a sidewalk, with everyone's ideas walking through it in ordinary dress, arousing neither emotion, nor laughter, nor dreams," (60). This contrasted the romance novels Emma enjoyed. They displayed forthright confessions of desire, lavishly portrayed in exquisite settings. Emma quickly found dialogue with Charles to be trite and of little interest. "As their life together increased in physical intimacy, she built up an inner emotional detachment that seperated her from him." (60). She is hesitant to share her emotions and longings for romantic gestures. Because Charles shares all of his, albiet tedious, consciousness with Emma, he is oblivious to her clandestine nature.