simple heart essay

"A Simple Heart" by Gustave Flaubert Study Guide

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“A Simple Heart” by Gustave Flaubert describes the life, the affections, and the fantasies of a diligent, kindhearted servant named Félicité. This detailed story opens with an overview of Félicité’s working life—most of which has been spent serving a middle-class widow named Madame Aubain, “who, it must be said, was not the easiest of people to get on with” (3). However, during her fifty years with Madame Aubain, Félicité has proved herself to be an excellent housekeeper. As the third-person narrator of “A Simple Heart” states: “No one could have been more persistent when it came to haggling over prices and, as for cleanliness, the spotless state of her saucepans was the despair of all the other serving maids” (4).

Though a model servant, Félicité had to endure hardship and heartbreak early in life. She lost her parents at a young age and had a few brutal employers before she met Madame Aubain. In her teenage years, Félicité also struck up a romance with a “fairly well off” young man named Théodore—only to find herself in agony when Théodore abandoned her for an older, wealthier woman (5-7). Soon after this, Félicité was hired to look after Madame Aubain and the two young Aubain children, Paul and Virginie.

Félicité formed a series of deep attachments during her fifty years of service. She became devoted to Virginie, and closely followed Virginie’s church activities: “She copied the religious observances of Virginie, fasting when she fasted and going to confession whenever she did” (15). She also became fond of her nephew Victor, a sailor whose travels “took him to Morlaix, to Dunkirk and to Brighton and after each trip, he brought back a present for Félicité” (18). Yet Victor dies of yellow fever during a voyage to Cuba, and the sensitive and sickly Virginie also dies young. The years pass, “one very much like another, marked only by the annual recurrence of the church festivals,” until Félicité finds a new outlet for her “natural kind-heartedness” (26-28). A visiting noblewoman gives Madame Aubain a parrot—a noisy, stubborn parrot named Loulou—and Félicité wholeheartedly begins looking after the bird.

Félicité starts to go deaf and suffers from “imaginary buzzing noises in her head” as she grows older, yet the parrot is a great comfort—“almost a son to her; she simply doted on him” (31). When Loulou dies, Félicité sends him to a taxidermist and is delighted with the “quite magnificent” results (33). But the years ahead are lonely; Madame Aubain dies, leaving Félicité a pension and (in effect) the Aubain house, since “nobody came to rent the house and nobody came to buy it” (37). Félicité’s health deteriorates, though she still keeps informed about religious ceremonies. Shortly before her death, she contributes the stuffed Loulou to a local church display. She dies as a church procession is underway, and in her final moments envisions “a huge parrot hovering above her head as the heavens parted to receive her” (40).

Background and Contexts

Flaubert’s Inspirations: By his own account, Flaubert was inspired to write “A Simple Heart” by his friend and confidante, the novelist George Sand. Sand had urged Flaubert to abandon his typically harsh and satiric treatment of his characters for a more compassionate way of writing about suffering, and the story of Félicité is apparently the result of this effort. Félicité herself was based on the Flaubert family’s longtime maidservant Julie. And in order to master the character of Loulou, Flaubert installed a stuffed parrot on his writing desk. As he noted during the composition of “A Simple Heart”, the sight of the taxidermy parrot “is beginning to annoy me. But I’m keeping him there, to fill my mind with the idea of parrothood.”

Some of these sources and motivations help to explain the themes of suffering and loss that are so prevalent in “A Simple Heart”. The story was begun around 1875 and appeared in book form in 1877. In the meantime, Flaubert had run up against financial difficulties, had watched as Julie was reduced to blind old age, and had lost George Sand (who died in 1875). Flaubert would eventually write to Sand’s son, describing the role that Sand had played in the composition of “A Simple Heart”: “I had begun “A Simple Heart” with her in mind and exclusively to please her. She died when I was in the middle of my work.” For Flaubert, the untimely loss of Sand had a larger message of melancholy: “So is it with all our dreams.”

Realism in the 19th Century: Flaubert was not the only major 19th-century author to focus on simple, commonplace, and often powerless characters. Flaubert was the successor of two French novelists— Stendhal and Balzac—who excelled at portraying middle- and upper-middle-class characters in an unadorned, brutally honest manner. In England, George Eliot depicted hardworking but far-from-heroic farmers and tradesmen in rural novels such as Adam Bede , Silas Marner , and Middlemarch ; while Charles Dickens portrayed the downtrodden, impoverished residents of cities and industrial towns in the novels Bleak House and Hard Times . In Russia, the subjects of choice were perhaps more unusual: children, animals, and madmen were a few of the characters depicted by such writers as Gogol , Turgenev, and Tolstoy .

Even though everyday, contemporary settings were a key element of the 19th-century realist novel, there were major realist works—including several of Flaubert’s—that depicted exotic locations and strange events. “A Simple Heart” itself was published in the collection Three Tales , and Flaubert’s other two tales are very different: “The Legend of St. Julien the Hospitaller”, which abounds in grotesque description and tells a story of adventure, tragedy, and redemption; and “Herodias”, which turns a lush Middle Eastern setting into a theater for grand religious debates. To a large extent, Flaubert’s brand of realism was based not on the subject matter, but on the use of minutely-rendered details, on an aura of historical accuracy, and on the psychological plausibility of his plots and characters. Those plots and characters could involve a simple servant, a renowned medieval saint, or aristocrats from ancient times.

Flaubert’s Depiction of Félicité: By his own account, Flaubert designed “A Simple Heart” as “quite simply the tale of the obscure life of a poor country girl, devout but not given to mysticism” and took a thoroughly straightforward approach to his material: “It is in no way ironic (though you might suppose it to be so) but on the contrary very serious and very sad. I want to move my readers to pity, I want to make sensitive souls weep, being one myself.” Félicité is indeed a loyal servant and a pious woman, and Flaubert keeps a chronicle of her responses to major losses and disappointments. But it is still possible to read Flaubert’s text as an ironic commentary on Félicité’s life.

Early on, for instance, Félicité is described in the following terms: “Her face was thin and her voice was shrill. At twenty-five, people took her to be as old as forty. After her fiftieth birthday, it became impossible to say what age she was at all. She hardly ever spoke, and her upright stance and deliberate movements gave her the appearance of a woman made out of wood, driven as if by clockwork” (4-5). Though Félicité’s unappealing appearance can earn a reader’s pity, there is also a touch of dark humor to Flaubert’s description of how strangely Félicité has aged. Flaubert also gives an earthy, comic aura to one of the great objects of Félicité’s devotion and admiration, the parrot Loulou: “Unfortunately, he had the tiresome habit of chewing his perch and he kept plucking out his feathers, scattering his droppings everywhere and splashing the water from his bath” (29). Although Flaubert invites us to pity Félicité, he also tempts us to regard her attachments and her values as ill-advised, if not absurd.

Travel, Adventure, Imagination: Even though Félicité never travels too far, and even though Félicité’s knowledge of geography is extremely limited, images of travel and references to exotic locations figure prominently in “A Simple Heart”. When her nephew Victor is at sea, Félicité vividly imagines his adventures: “Prompted by her recollection of the pictures in the geography book, she imagined him being eaten by savages, captured by monkeys in a forest or dying on some deserted beach” (20). As she grows older, Félicité becomes fascinated with Loulou the parrot—who “came from America”—and decorates her room so that it resembles “something halfway between a chapel and a bazaar” (28, 34). Félicité is clearly intrigued by the world beyond the Aubains’ social circle, yet she is incapable of venturing out into it. Even trips that take her slightly outside her familiar settings—her efforts to see Victor off on his voyage (18-19), her journey to Honfleur (32-33)—unnerve her considerably.

A Few Discussion Questions

1) How closely does “A Simple Heart” follow the principles of 19th-century realism? Can you find any paragraphs or passages that are excellent specimens of a “realist” way of writing? Can you find any places where Flaubert departs from traditional realism?

2) Consider your initial reactions to “A Simple Heart” and to Félicité herself. Did you perceive the character of Félicité as admirable or ignorant, as hard to read or totally straightforward? How do you think Flaubert wants us to react to this character—and what do you think Flaubert himself thought of Félicité?

3) Félicité loses many of the people who are closest to her, from Victor to Virginie to Madame Aubain. Why is the theme of loss so prevalent in “A Simple Heart”? Is the story meant to be read as a tragedy, as a statement of the way life really is, or as something else completely?

4) What role do references to travel and adventure play in “A Simple Heart”? Are these references meant to show how little Félicité really knows about the world, or do they lend her existence a special air of excitement and dignity? Consider a few specific passages and what they say about the life Félicité leads.

Note on Citations

All page numbers refer to Roger Whitehouse's translation of Gustave Flaubert's Three Tales, which contains the full text of "A Simple Heart" (introduction and notes by Geoffrey Wall; Penguin Books, 2005).

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A Simple Heart Essay

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W hy's T his F unny?

A Simple Heart

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Chapter 1 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 summary.

Madame Aubain is the envy of all her neighbors. She employs Félicité Barette, a hardworking housemaid who is paid very little. Félicité is fiercely loyal even though Madame Aubain has a reputation for being a difficult employer. Madame Aubain has been forced to deal with the debts left to her after the death of her husband. She has already sold several properties to raise the funds to pay off these debts, and as a result, she has relocated to a new home in Pont-l’Évêque, bringing her two children and Félicité with her.

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A Simple Heart

Gustave flaubert, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Félicité Barette

Madame aubain, paul aubain, virginie aubain, nastasie leroux (barette).

Victor Leroux

Monsieur bourais, monsieur fellacher, monsieur liébard.

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A Simple Heart Characters

Madame Aubain

Madame Aubain employs Félicité in her service for half a century. At the beginning of Félicité's employment Madame is the mother of Paul, seven, and Virginie, four, and the widow of a man who has left her with many debts. Although Madame Aubain rarely displays affection or appreciation for her servant, Félicité is deeply devoted to her and in many ways protects her. It is Félicité who bargains with tradespeople, who eases obnoxious visitors out of the house, who saves the family from an angry bull they encounter during an outing. When Virginie dies, it is Félicité who keeps vigil by the body and tends the grave, since Madame is too overcome to do so. Most of Félicité's possessions, including the parrot, Loulou, are Madame's castoffs. When...

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A Simple Heart and Other Stories Themes

By gustave flaubert.

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Written by Bridget Clayton

The name Felicite means "happiness" in Old French, and "happiness" or "fertility" in Latin. One would expect the name Felicite to say something about the personality and life of the main character. However, Felicite has never known true happiness. She was orphaned as a young girl, and consequently worked from a young age. She was then accused of theft, and left behind by her "love", Theodore . The episode in which Felicite is abandoned by Theodore for another woman is the end of Felicite's minute happiness and hope for a better future. There is no longer a chance of escape from her poor, working class status. She becomes a "femme en bois", or a woman made of wood. This metaphor suggests that the main character lives to work, and simply goes through the motions of life. In later sections of the book, when Felicite cares for others such as the two children and her nephew, Victor , she is always let down. One child, Virginia , dies, and this is an act that Felicite cannot comprehend. Later, Victor also dies while voyaging to Havana. When Mme. Aubain suggests that Felicite go to see her sister, Felicite chooses to stay and work instead. Finally, her parrot, Loulou , also meets his end. As this is too much to bear, the parrot is stuffed. Although Felicite works so hard that she is envied by other servants, she is never allowed the happiness that should be awarded to such an honest, simple person. Gustave Flaubert was a part of the Realist movement. Although the end of Felicite's life,with all of its burdens and degradation, does not seem just, lives like Felicite's were simply fact for Flaubert.

Education and Religion

Felicite never receives a formal education in her lifetime. Orphaned at a young age, she worked at two farms before finding a job with Mme. Aubain and staying at her house for the rest of her life. Felicite only knows the nature of animals and has never attended church. Felicite is against a physical relationship with Theodore, but not because she has been brought up religiously. She understands sex only through her experience working on farms. Later, she learns from one of Mme. Aubain's children, Paul , which is contrary to societal expectations that adults should be smarter than children. When Felicite wants to keep track of her nephew, Victor, while he is travelling to Havana, she is presented with a map. She demands where Victor is, hoping to pinpoint his exact location from the tiny point of Cuba on the map. When it rains at Mme. Aubain's, Felicite fears for Victor's safety, because it must be raining where he is, too. Felicite attends church with Mme. Aubain's other child, Virginia, and this is her first experience with religion. She cannot comprehend the metaphor of the lamb in the church service, and instead her heart becomes more tender for actual lambs. When Virginia is baptized, Felicite in a way takes the First Communion through the child, although her understanding of religion is skewed. Following this, after her parrot Loulou has died and has been stuffed, and amidst her physical and mental degradation, Felicite confuses the bird with the Holy Spirit. Finally, at the end of Felicite's life, she believes she sees a giant parrot present at the opening of the gates of heaven. The title of the story, A Simple Heart , has both positive and negative connotations. Felicite is so simple that her ignorance of the world is staggering.

Physical and Mental Degradation

The physical and mental degradation of Felicite begins when she becomes a "femme en bois", or a woman made of wood. Her mind is now closed to any sentimental experiences after Theodore abandons her, and the stiffness of her body represents the fact that she is alive solely to work. Felicite experiences three important deaths throughout the short story. They are the deaths of the child, Virginia, Felicite's nephew, Victor, and her parrot, Loulou. Loulou had had a significant presence in Felicite's life after the first two deaths. He was her anchor, and the one being that Felicite felt close to. The relationship is bizarre, and perhaps even hints at incest and blasphemy. Nevertheless, she at one point she cannot find the bird for some time. Although she does locate him eventually, the shock of the incident has left Felicite with almost complete deafness. She can only hear the sound of Loulou. As it is not possible to go deaf, yet still hear one specific bird, the reader senses mental degradation as well as physical. Later, Felicite has trouble seeing and breathing. After Mme. Aubain dies and the house is put up for sale, Felicite begins to limp. The limp is a physical reaction to the idea of losing her bedroom that she has known for so long, although the house itself is also in physical degradation. At the end of Felicite's life, the stuffed bird is rotting with maggots. This does not phase Felicite, because Loulou is that important to her. Finally, Felicite hallucinates a parrot in the gates of heaven when she passes.

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A Simple Heart and Other Stories Questions and Answers

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Who is Paul and Virginie?

Yes, Virginia and Paul are Madame Aubain's children. Paul was seven and Virginie was four.

What date/period was this short story written?

It was written in the 19th century, first Published in 1877.

Study Guide for A Simple Heart and Other Stories

A Simple Heart and Other Stories study guide contains a biography of Gustave Flaubert, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Simple Heart and Other Stories
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A Simple Heart and Other Stories literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Simple Heart and Other Stories by Gustave Flaubert.

• A Simple Saint: Felicite as an Embodiment of Christian Virtues

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• Introduction