“Then on the mouth that had spoken lies she groaned in pride and cried out in lust” ( 256). Emma Bovary's attempts to realize her unrealistic desires are also an attempt to free herself from the restrictions that society imposes on women. Unfortunately, she is unable to overcome these barriers due to the lack of power women have in this time period. Her actions represent the struggle women have had to endure in trying to maintain an image that fits society's standards. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Emma Bovary talks about giving birth to a child so he can live the life she didn't get to have. She doesn't want her son to be hindered by society's restrictions because it would give meaning to her life to have a son who "is free" (23). Their society does not offer women the opportunity to live a fulfilling life because they are limited in what they can achieve. Having a child with Emma represents the state of women's rights in the 19th century and accurately depicts the struggle of being a woman when you have to hope to have a child to be free. This is why Emma Bovary has no financial stability because women during this time period did not have the ability to earn nearly as much money as men did. The woman's role was to be performed in the home and more as a submissive to a man rather than as an equal. These restrictions led Emma to riddle her marriage with dishonesty and infidelity. Emma continues to struggle to fulfill her unfulfilled desires because Charles doesn't seem to interest her after a short period of time. He has no valid excuse for his infidelity because he knew it was wrong due to the restrictions of his marriage and cannot justify his infidelity. Emma's actions depict a woman selfish enough to violate the laws of marriage for her own needs. “She thirsted for his lips, longed for his love, and cursed herself for allowing him to leave. She could not understand by what weakness or virtue she had deprived herself of such happiness” (293). In this situation, I believed that in the back of her mind she thought about Charles' feelings for a moment, which is why she didn't go through with having relations with Leon this time. He understands how unfaithful he is and the image he presents to those he meets. At the same time, she seems unable to contain herself and her desires because she continues to be dishonest and continues in her acts of infidelity. It is not a question of society holding her back from her actions because she has placed herself in this scenario by setting such high expectations for her desires. It is impossible for her to even get a glimpse of desires because they are so far out of reach. Emma does what she wants even though she knows there might be consequences because she still wants that happiness she has yet to find in her life. Emma describes herself as a selfish and very needy person due to her thirst not only for her own happiness, but also for financial stability. I can understand that because she is a woman, she doesn't have the power to make money as she wants, but she wants more money than some men have. His financial instability ultimately contributes to his downfall as he ends up in debt and unable to repay the money he owes. It demonstrates his carelessness and shows how unethical he is behaving considering he puts Charles in such a difficult situation to handle. The only sympathy I have for her is why she can't do it.