Maybe you're just being cynical. The inevitability is inherent in both, but the contrast is in how they handle it. While Poe fears death, Bovary embraces life. He spends all of his time worrying about the inevitable, figuring out ways to avoid it, exploring the darkness of humanity; she explores what it's like to have the things in life people say they want. Everything is excess, true, so the consequences are harsh, but her life isn't full of endless despair - her escapes from the monotony of life work while they last. She learns to live but is restrained by the world around her. Poe is restrained by himself.

[this speed date is off to a great start.]