Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893), is a French author of the naturalistic school who is regarded as the greatest short story writer. Though he didn 't originate the short story genre, he promoted it. Maupassant was a prolific writer, between 1880 and 1890 he wrote around three hundred short stories. He was a master of his works and many of his famous works were associated with caustic endings. The Necklaceis perhaps his most famous work ,which has been also called Madame Bovary in miniature. The story depicts a middle class woman, Madame Mathilde Loisel, who was obsessed with luxuries of the noblemen.. Mathilde was invited for a ball, where she borrowed a diamond necklance from Mrs Forrester, Unfortunately, she lost the necklace and worked …show more content…
Literary theories are some ideas which try to define what literature is and how it needs to be studied. These focus on the nature of literature and present some methods to analyze those. These theories are like different lenses that views literature privileging particular aspects of a work over other characteristics. There are different schools of theory based on certain thoughts and assumptions they consider important.
I am going to analyze ‘The Necklace’ from two different point of view- one is Marxist and the other is Feminist. I plan to shed light on the different aspects of the short story which portrays Marxist as well as feminist features.
Marxist
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“The Diamond Necklace” by Maupassant teaches how this clash defines society’s interactions with each other. Understanding the desire of the proletariat class to overcome the oppression caused by those who have control over them, will give more understanding to the relationship between the Loisels. Through the characteristic flaws shown by Matilda, Marxist theory is upheld. With Marx’s idea of how Capitalism works, class conflict, manipulation, and repression are exemplified through the characteristic conflicts that build and destroy the husband and wife’s relationship within the story, while helping them become one with each
However, the narrator chooses to focus on the “not-so-spectacular ways a bullet can work.” This establishes the foundation for the rest of the piece, implying that bullets have irrevocably changed her in some way. She then begins to describe her husband Hobart, who “wore a bullet on a chain around his neck” and had “red skin from the sun and drinking.” It is important to note that the first thing she says when she describes her husband is the bullet on his chain, which is unusual, but distinctive. Not only does it reveal his attachment to violence, as seen by the bullet, but the things that one is identified by are usually the things that capture the very essence of that person.
The prejudice that the author brings forward strongly is the notion of feminism. The author’s main purpose of writing this novel is to examine the role of women played around
In all three works the central theme is the overcoming of male oppression and achieving independence. Both Janie and Mrs. Mallard find independence through the death of their husbands, while the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper finds independence and freedom by herself through “peeling off the wallpaper”. All women have to live in a society, but it is because of women like Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman that they have gained the right to contribute to
Likewise, de Maupassant’s “The Jewels” introduces us to Madame Lantin, who was married off to Monsieur Lantin to improve her life. Her seemingly virtuous and innocent appearance became the main
We are greedy. We as humans cling to the materialistic things in our lives. Some of us have everything we need to live a perfectly comfortable life, but keep wanting. Greed controls almost everyone, no matter how many possessions we have in our name. In this, when our greed exceed our needs, we lose sight of what is important, leading to our detriment.
Authors, especially female authors, have long used their writing to emphasize and analyze the feminist issues that characterize society, both in the past and the present. Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Susan Glaspell wrote narratives that best examined feminist movements through the unreliable minds of their characters. In all three stories, “The Story of an Hour”, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and “A Jury of Her Peers”, the authors use characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing to describe the characters’ apparent psychosis or unreasonable behavior to shed light on the social issues that characterized the late 19th century and early 20th century. Penning many stories that demonstrate her opinions on the social issues of the era,
Chopin’s novel and short story provides awareness of the lack of independence and individuality that women are granted in that era. Chopin’s voices how Louise and Enda becomes accustom to living according to what the man of the house desires. “Then would be no power will bending hers in that blind persistence” (The Story of An hour). With Louise husband being gone, he would no longer interfere with her actions or even overrule what she has to say. Louise would be completely free from his authority.
- The goals of feminism is to show the importance of women and to bring gender equity. It also reveals that historical women have been subordinate to men, which is the reason why there are still some patriarchal societies in the modern setting. - This literary piece is a great example of feminism. It shows how men and women are portrayed; how women have more in them than what meets the eye; and how genders treat and react to each other. BODY 1 (answer to question 1)
“Thank You, Ma’am”, by Langston Hughes, is a tale about a young lad named Roger who attempts stealing to provide for himself, when instead he learns a valuable lesson. “The Necklace”, by Guy de Maupassant, is a story about a selfish woman named Mathilde and her husband, with a surprising twist at the end of the short story. These fables are going to be used to compare and contrast the messages of morality, socio-economic status, and family. On the topic of morality, Roger from “Thank You, Ma’am” and Mathilde from “The Necklace” are different.
Human nature causes people to desire more than what one already has. However, after desiring material items, people realize the foolishness in their greed. In “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Mathilde Loisel, who lives in France during the 1880s, attempts to transform her ordinary life into one of luxury. She attends a reception with her friend Madame Forestier's diamond necklace, but after losing it, she works to buy a new necklace, only to later discover the necklace she lost is fake. Through this experience, Mathilde learns to be content with what she has, and as a result, she realizes the flaws in her character.
In essence, this attack is representive of Ibsen’s attack on the societal conventions. Through Nora’s ultimate rejection of her society’s gender roles, Ibsen illustrates how there is some ability for these entrenched roots to be ripped up
Originating in France, ‘The Necklace’ is a short story written by French writer Guy de Maupassant in the late nineteenth century, the period where literary movements realism and naturalism dominated French fiction. Maupassant played an important role in both the realist movement and the naturalist movement through his depiction of the setting as well as the character’s decision. The short story reflects upon the rigid patriarchal society during the late nineteenth century, demonstrating how the wealth of a person can lead to their generosity and greed; thus affecting their lifestyles. Through ‘The Necklace’, Maupassant aims to depict the conflicts between the upper-class and the lower class, how their inner desires vary. This essay will analyze ‘The Necklace’ and how Maupassant uses the social context, characters and literary devices in the short story to illustrate his misogynistic viewpoints towards women.
The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.
This paper talks about the Marxist and Postcolonial analysis of my favourite text, a movie titled The Damsels. The Damsels talks about the birth of a prince called prince Vadin in Achinike kingdom, his return home from his educational adventure after twenty-five years and the actions he undertook in his quest to choose a bride. In this paper, the Marxist and postcolonial lenses have be used to critically analyse my favourite text, The Damsels. Under the postcolonial theory, I have made use of the concepts of culture and national identity to literary critique the movie in relation to how Africa has evolved after colonisation. Also, I have employed the concept of base and superstructure and the concept of alienation under the Marxist theory
Women in the 1890s were expected to work at home to keep their husbands comfortable and bear him children. Kate Chopin wrote most of her short stories during this time period. Her stories “A Respectable Woman” and “A Story of an Hour” show a female protagonist who want their freedom and control over their own lives. Her characters pushed the bounds of the roles that society gave them and showed the brutal reality of how women were treated in the 1890s. In “A Respectable Woman” the female protagonist Mrs. Baroda is married and lives on a plantation with her husband, who invites a friend to spend a week or two with them.