# Madame Arnoux — Sentimental Education character guide > Madame Arnoux in Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Arnoux, the Arnoux, Madame, the worthy Arnoux **First appearance:** 0007-chapter-i ## Snapshot The wife of an art dealer, she is the quiet center of Frederick's desire—gracious, restrained, and perpetually just out of reach. ## Who they are Madame Arnoux presides over her husband's household with a composure that makes her the object of Frederick's most extravagant devotion. She is neither coquette nor prude; her loyalty to a faithless husband and her tenderness toward her children give her a moral weight the men around her lack. Her smallest gestures—a hand on a comb, the rustle of a skirt—become the events of Frederick's inner life, and her refusal to become merely an affair is what keeps the novel's central longing alive. ## Relationships ### [Frederick Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/frederick_moreau) _romantic_ Frederick harbors an idealized, obsessive, and ultimately unfulfilled romantic love for Madame Arnoux throughout the novel. ### [Hussonnet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/hussonnet) _social_ Hussonnet knows Madame Arnoux through her husband's artistic circle and acts as a social intermediary. ### [Deslauriers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/deslauriers) _psychological_ Deslauriers is obsessed with Madame Arnoux as a symbol of Frederick's desire, and later attempts to seduce her out of spite. ### [Rosanette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/rosanette) _rivalry_ Madame Arnoux and Rosanette are romantic rivals for Frederick's affection, though they also meet in social contexts. ### [Regimbart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/regimbart) _social_ Regimbart is a frequent visitor to the Arnoux household, known for his political opinions and idle presence. ### [Mademoiselle Vatnaz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/mademoiselle_vatnaz) _social_ Mademoiselle Vatnaz is a peripheral acquaintance of Madame Arnoux, moving in overlapping artistic and social circles. ### [Frederick Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/frederick_moreau) _romantic_ Frederick harbors an idealized, obsessive, and ultimately unfulfilled romantic love for Madame Arnoux throughout the novel. ### [Frederick Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/frederick_moreau) _romantic_ Frederick harbors an idealized, obsessive, and ultimately unfulfilled romantic love for Madame Arnoux throughout the novel. ### [Hussonnet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/hussonnet) _social_ Hussonnet knows Madame Arnoux through her husband's artistic circle and acts as a social intermediary. ### [Mademoiselle Vatnaz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/mademoiselle_vatnaz) _social_ Mademoiselle Vatnaz is a peripheral acquaintance of Madame Arnoux, moving in overlapping artistic and social circles. ### [Regimbart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/regimbart) _social_ Regimbart is a frequent visitor to the Arnoux household, known for his political opinions and idle presence. ### [Deslauriers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/deslauriers) _psychological_ Deslauriers is obsessed with Madame Arnoux as a symbol of Frederick's desire, and later attempts to seduce her out of spite. ## In the story ### [Sentimental Education](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/sentimental-education) Object of Frederick's infatuation; first seen on the steamboat with her husband. ### [The Steamboat Encounter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/she-wore-a-wide-straw-hat-with-red-ribbons-which-fluttered-in-the-wind-behind-her) Wears a wide straw hat with red ribbons, drawing Frederick's attention. ### [ILLUSTRATIONS](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/illustrations) Likely the woman in the straw hat, offering comfort and affection. ### [Sentimental Education](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/sentimental-education) The object of Frederick's obsessive affection, a married woman whose presence symbolizes unattainable love and idealization. ### [CHAPTER I.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-i) A beautiful married woman Frederick meets on the steamboat; she becomes the object of his intense infatuation. ### [A Promising Pupil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/a-promising-pupil) The wife of Jacques Arnoux, whose beauty and grace captivate Frederick during the voyage. ### [CHAPTER III.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-iii) Frederick visits her home, deepening his infatuation and idealization of her. ### [Sentiment and Passion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/sentiment-and-passion) Frederick's obsession; he fears she is dead but learns she is well; her shadow in the window haunts him. ### [CHAPTER IV.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-iv) Frederick's idealized love interest; he continues to visit her and her husband's shop, maintaining his infatuation. ### [The Inexpressible She!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/the-inexpressible-she) Madame Arnoux is mentioned indirectly; her virtue is affirmed by Pellerin, and Frederick feels she is lowered by her husband's vulgarity. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-v) Madame Arnoux remains an object of Frederick's desire, though their relationship remains platonic and distant. ### [Love Knoweth No Laws.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/love-knoweth-no-laws) Engages in a thoughtful conversation with Frederick about ambition and love, displaying her moral rectitude and beauty. ### [CHAPTER VI.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-vi) Frederick's idealized love interest; he visits her family and becomes a friend of the household. ### [Blighted Hopes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/blighted-hopes) Frederick's obsessive thoughts of her dominate his emotional landscape; he fears losing her respect and imagines a future with her. ### [CHAPTER VII.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-vii) Frederick's idealized love interest; he visits her family and continues to harbor deep feelings. ### [A Change of Fortune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/a-change-of-fortune) Found at home with her children; appears changed to Frederick, who feels his passion has diminished. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-viii) Frederick continues to harbor deep feelings for her, though she remains distant and devoted to her family. ### [Frederick Entertains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/frederick-entertains) Frederick visits her; they share a tender moment and she offers him encouragement. ### [Chapter: Then she seized him by the ears and kissed him.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/then-she-seized-him-by-the-ears-and-kissed-him) Weeps over Arnoux's infidelity; Frederick comforts her, and they share a moment of silent understanding. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-ix) Frederick visits her home, and his admiration for her grows, highlighting his romantic idealization. ### [The Friend of the Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/the-friend-of-the-family) Confides in Frederick about her husband's faults and her unhappiness; visits him alone to ask for help with Arnoux's debts, and shares a tender moment in the garden. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/chapters/chapter-x) Madame Arnoux remains the object of Frederick's affection, though their relationship is complicated by his new circumstances. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters/madame_arnoux - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sentimental_education_se/characters