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Themes In 'The Necklace And Unpopular Gal'

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What makes people obsess over vanity? What possesses people to be jealous? The analysis of two short stories; “The Necklace” written by Guy de Maupassant and “Unpopular Gal” composed by Margret Atwood can both compare and contrast one another; these characters suffer from both vanity and envy endlessly. “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams.” A quote from Neil Gaiman these short stories allows the reader to explore perspectives and emotions of people in whom we don’t know. We can explore their thoughts and dreams. With the use of analysing the protagonist’s relationships, characterisation and main themes, we can fully explore Gaiman’s quote.
“Unpopular Gals” demonstrates an unhealthy relationship between two sisters. Through the perspective of the ‘ugly duckling’ sister and how much she values vanity over knowledge, whilst the other sister is portrayed as a woman who is valued for her beauty alone. Not a great deal is revealed about this relationship as the ‘prettier’ sister had been abruptly killed off, this can symbolise the amount of hatred and covetousness she experienced towards her own sister. “The Necklace” depicts another relationship; Madame and Monsieur Loisel. “She let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education.” This quote illustrates the relationship between them and as if Monsieur experiences unrequited love and his wife, “is unhappy as though she had married beneath her.” This relationship

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