Emma's Path to Destruction in Madame Bovary In his song "Instant Karma!", John Lennon shouts an ominous warning to his listeners: "Instant karma will he'll take / hit you right in the head / you better pull yourself together, darling / pretty soon you'll be dead..." The object of his scorn may have been socially conservative Americans bent on abolishing social progressives, but clearly anyone can glimpse some wisdom from such blunt advice. Even Gustav Flaubert's eponymous heroine, Emma Bovary, might have escaped her grim cycle of bad luck, disappointment and utter despair if she had understood the relatively simple Hindu law of karma that Lennon alludes to here, which states: "Any action it is the effect of a cause and is in turn the cause of an effect" (Zaehner 4). Because according to this law every hateful act committed by Emma Bovary had equally hateful repercussions on her future; well, or had she performed enough tasks for the benefit of someone other than herself, her ultimate fate would not have been so terrible. As Flaubert argues, however, Emma Bovary's myriad abhorrent acts of deceit, adultery, and selfish manipulation. even towards those who care for her, ultimately lead her down that dark, cyclical path that so often ends, as in this case of Madame Bovary's doomed protagonist, in tragedy. Traditionally, the Hindi faith recognizes karma as a force accumulated over the course of a lifetime that acts as a catalyst for events and situations experienced in later life. To understand the impact of karma on Emma Bovary, one must examine her as if she had lived three distinct lives: daughter, wife, and lover. During his first... half of the work... Eric (1966). "Mrs. Bovary." In B. F. Bart (ed.), Madame Bovary and the Critics (pp 132-143). New York: New York University Press. Brombert, Victor (1966). The novels of Gustav Flaubert: a study of themes and techniques. Princeton: Princeton University Press.D'Aurevilly, Barbey (1986). M. Gustav Flaubert. In Laurence M. Porter (ed.), Critical Essays on Gustav Flaubert (pp 50-57). Boston: G. K. Hall & Co. Flaubert, Gustav (1857). Madame Bovary (Lowell Bair, trans.). New York: Bantam Books Kershner, Irvin (director) and Lucas, George (producer). (1980). The Empire Strikes Back Hollywood: Lucasfilm, Ltd.Lennon, John. "Instant Karma!" Tillett, Margaret (1966). "On reading Madame Bovary." In B. F. Bart (ed.), Madame Bovary and the Critics (pp 1-25). New York: New York University Press.Zaehner, R. C. (1966). Hinduism. New York: Oxford University Press.