#68 A Simple Heart- Gustave Flaubert
This is the life of Felicite, an orphan, a servant, a person
of little consequence. She is innocent, and simple. The basic things in this
world elude her understanding. Looking at a map of the world, she asked to be
shown a picture of her nephew’s house.
However, she is capable of love, and affection. She is
overwhelmed by spirituality upon hearing the story of Christ, but upon a
revisit:
“…she presented herself early at he church so as to receive
communion from the cure. She took it with the proper feeling, but did not
experience the same delight as on the previous day.”
And again when she is overwhelmed by life, she learned to
adapt and overcome her anger quickly. When Madame Aubain worried about not
receiving a letter from her daughter in 4 days, Felicite told her hat she
hadn’t heard from her own nephew in 6 months. Madame Aubain’s response:
“I did not think of it. Besides, I do not care, a cabin-boy,
a pauper! But my daughter, what a difference. Just think of it!”
Her initial indignation gave way to indifference to the
slight. Although her life and death go
unnoticed, hers is a meaningful one. Felicity has the uncanny capability to
love, and live with oneself without regret and without baggage.
Some stories are timeless, some translate through time,
language, circumstance. I’m not sure if this is one such story. However, the
themes are timeless and the language beautiful.
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