Maupassant’s The Necklace Essay - 1606 Words

Mathilde Loisel lived the life of a painfully distressed woman, who always believed herself worthy of living in the upper class. Although Mathilde was born into the average middle class family, she spent her time daydreaming of her destiny for more in life... especially when it came to her financial status. Guy de Maupassant’s short story, â€Å"The Necklace†, tells a tale of a vain, narcissistic housewife who longed for the aristocratic lifestyle that she believed she was creditable for. In describing Mathilde’s self-serving, unappreciative, broken and fake human behaviors, de Maupassant incorporates the tragic irony that ultimately concludes in ruining her. Mathilde lives in an illusive world where her desires do not meet up to the reality†¦show more content†¦She receives admiration and attention from not only the men, but also from the women of the party. In just these few hours she feels as if her life is finally as it should be, although she knows deep down that appearance was more of a scheme than it was truth. Her wealth and class was simply a hoax, and she had many people (including herself) deceived. Throughout â€Å"The Necklace†, Mathilde proves her cheated personality by looking down on the average life she has, and only looking up to the luxurious lifestyle of the wealthy. She collects a pleasure from being acknowledged by others for the character that she has untruthfully put on. As we learn that the borrowed diamond necklace is fake, we also begin to infer that Mathilde is not any more authentic than the imitation jewelry that she cannot even call her own. Like herself, the necklace is beautiful but worthle ss. In contrast to Mathilde’s greediness, she is forced to learn that the power of these material items may be her desired interest, but she cannot afford to let her craving for wealth take control of her life. After the purchase of the replacement necklace, her and her husband are put into ten years of debt forcing Mathilde to learn the ethics of being a lower-class housewife. Heavy duties in the kitchen, cleaning dirty linens and clothing, and fetching water was the result of dismissing the servant they could no longer pay for. Ironically, she did not only lose sight of the luxurious life that sheShow MoreRelatedExposition of Plot in Maupassants The Necklace1354 Words   |  6 Pagesbrutal, inconsequential, and disconnected, full of inexplicable, illogical catastrophes† (â€Å"The Writer’s Goal 897). Utterly to the point with his words, Guy de Maupassant’s fame as a writer stemmed from his â€Å"direct and simple way† of telling readers what he obse rved (Chopin 861). His short story, â€Å"The Necklace,† is no exception. â€Å"The Necklace† is evidence of the literary realism that dominated literature during the 19th century. Cora Agatucci, a professor of Humanities, states that the subjects ofRead More Theme Analysis of Maupassants The Necklace Essay722 Words   |  3 Pages Guy De Maupassants short story The Necklace remarkably demonstrates how misfortune can lead to self improvement through the character Mathilde Loisel. Madame Mathilde was one of those beautiful and delightful young ladies with not very many high expectations, achievements, and no way to be accepted into the elaborate society and lifestyle in which she finds herself daydreaming about day and night. 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The main character, Madame Loisel, borrows a diamond necklace from her rich friend, Madame Forestier, to wear at a ball hosted by the Minister of Public Instruction at the Palace of the Ministry. To her dismay, Madame Loisel loses the necklace, and she and her husband spend the next ten years paying b ack the loans they had to take out to replace the necklace, only to discoverRead MoreComparative Analysis: Maupassants The Necklace and Hughes Salvation1459 Words   |  6 Pageswe have no other choice than to lie. An example of two such stories is Guy de Maupassants The Necklace and Langston Hughes Salvation, where both characters are faced with social and community pressures and make the choice to lie rather than admit the truth. Maupassants story concerns a woman, Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace to wear to a dance, for which her husband obtained a rare invitation. When the necklace is lost, she decides, with her husband, to replace it rather than tell the truthRead More Comparing Maupassants Necklace and Chekovs Vanka Essay780 Words   |  4 PagesNarrators and Sympathy in Maupassants Necklace and Chekovs Vanka  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In Guy de The Necklace and Anton Chekovs Vanka, the narrators attitudes are unsympathetic toward the protagonists Mathilde and Vanka. However, where the narrator of The Necklace feels outright hostility toward Mathilde, the narrator of Vanka voices his opinion more passively by pointing out the flaws in Vankas wishful thinking. In The Necklace, the narrators unsympathetic feelings toward Mathilde are madeRead MoreWilla Cathers Pauls Case and Maupassants The Necklace Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesWilla Cathers Pauls Case and Maupassants The Necklace When comparing two fictional characters from two different writers one must first and foremost analyze their dreams, ambitions, or goals in the story. 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