Irony In A Simple Heart

“Although used to being treated harshly, Félicité was indignant at Madame, then forgot about it” (19). In Gustave Flaubert’s “A Simple heart,” the main character’s name, Félicité, translates to happiness. Although Félicité’s name may mean happiness, she does not live a very happy life at all. Throughout numerous life events that happen to Félicité throughout the story, Flaubert uses irony, a broad term referring to what is used and what is meant, to add an analytical aspect to the novella Flaubert does not provide much information on Félicité’s childhood, but he does provide a short upsetting anecdote about her childhood. Giving minimal insight on her parent’s death and the life of poverty she lived afterward Flaubert writes:
“Her father, a mason, had died in a fall from some scaffolding. Then her mother died, her sisters scattered, and a farmer took her in and employed her, small as she was, to look after the cows in the fields. She would shiver in her rags, drink pond water lying flat on
On one of their outings Félicité reconnects with her long lost sister and Félicité grows very fond of her sister son, Victor. Unlike Madame Aubain’s son Paul, an ill mannered boy, Victor’s character contrasts with Paul’s. Victor makes frequent visits to Félicité and is essentially the son Félicité never had. Yet again, Félicité experiences heartbreak when Victor dies. Something that is strange about his death is that she does not cry, instead “Félicité collapsed onto a chair, leaned her head against the wall, and closed her suddenly pink eyes. Then for a long time she sat with lowered brow and hands dangling, staring in front of her and every now and again saying, 'Poor lad! Poor lad!'” (20). Yet another tragic loss for Félicité, but to her it does not faze her because she has so much experience with loss and