Modern Day Emma Bovary

David and I went to see the movie "Little Children" last night. I rarely see a movie that I'm still thinking about the next morning. But I woke up this morning with the image of the last scene in my head and mentally putting together the meaning of certain scenes, dialogue, etc. Not to give anything away, but Madam Bovary is one of my favorite novels and the character of Sara in this movie is a modern-day Emma Bovary -- dissatisfied with her life, regretting her choice of spouse, annoyed by her daughter's needs, and longing for her previous academic career. There's much more to the film than her hunger for a different life....it also addresses shame, judgment, forgiveness, and those points in our life when we realize our foolishness and just need to grow up.

I like Madam Bovary because I recognize parts of Emma in me. The longing for something more, something different, something to satisfy this hunger. I long for marriage...I get married, and then I start longing for something else, like a house, or a child. I long to be free of the corporate world, and so I leave to become a freelance writer, and it's not as "free" as I thought. I start longing for a steady paycheck again. I also see this longing in those around me: A friend struggles with infertility for years...she finally gets pregnant, or adopts, but then motherhood isn't what she really envisioned and she longs for something else. We constantly long for something. Something ELSE. In this movie, Sara thinks that acknowledging this hunger is noble and courageous. I would agree...but sometimes how we try to satisfy our hunger isn't so noble and courageous. Maturity, I think, is learning to live with the longing. To recognize our longing as a yearning for God. To be satisfied and content. And to put away childish things...