The novel is one of the most successful examples of 19th century romances. Although the main subject of the story may seem like to focus on Emma Bovary's tragic story and unrequited love, the writer deals with Emma's character and the trapped life of a 19th century French woman, the contradiction of the marriage institution's on human nature, the hypocrisy of social value judgments and moral measures.

Charles Bovary, who is a good hearted but a witty man, gets married to Emma, the beautiful daughter of one of his patients. Emma is a woman who drifts in the direction of her dreams; she compares her life to the lives she reads in books. She lives in the countryside and she thinks everyday resembles each other. She is tired of her life, and wants to experience designing adventures, fun and excitement. Monsieur Bovary settles in another town for his wife to recover from her increasingly distressed health. However, Emma starts to live forbidden relationships there, wastes money on luxury and also loses what she already has. She cannot pay the debts she secretly made and again she falls into a bigger confusion about her life, which result tragically both for her and Charles Bovary.