“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Analytical essay (symbols)
The class system has been around for centuries, it is probably embedded in our society forever. And Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” explores the idea of that system dictating our lives. Maupassant’s story explores the negative influence of the class system on people through the use of a symbol, the “diamond” necklace. By analysing how the necklace influences different character and the ironic reveal at the end of the story, it will be evident that the class system does harm some.
“The Necklace” is centred around Mathilde, a woman from an artisan family, who believes to be worth more than she is simply based on her appearance. Perhaps it’s the fault of the times she lived in, the class system, or her own;
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Throughout the story Maupassant’s heroine would rather live in her imaginary world, than suffer from the “poorness of her house.” She acts as if “she had married beneath her” and even when her husband is trying to bring joy into her life, Mathilde is ungrateful. Even when the opportunity to appear in high society presents itself, she is reluctant to agree. From the beginning Mathilde is worried about how others will perceive her. She always wants to appear wealthier than she really is. To achieve that illusion during the ball, she must borrow a diamond necklace from a friend, Madame Forestier. At first the necklace represents the luxury the heroine desires, the world she strives to live in. However, as the story progresses the necklace turns into a burden, something she must work for and pay for with the beauty she is so proud of. Mathilde always looks back at that seemingly wonderful night at the ball. That night represents everything the heroine desires, and it turns into a safe haven from her now difficult life. At the end it is revealed
However, she is poor so she borrows a necklace from a friend. She did this instead of wearing flowers for a cheap 15 francs. Mathilde lost the necklace and had to pay it off over the next 10 years. She did this because she wanted to fit in and no one else would be wearing cheap flowers. The theme is also shown in this story by the fact the Mathilde wanted to wear jewelry.
De Maupassant's “The Necklace” characterizes Mathilde Loisel, the main character, as a beautiful, egotistic woman who desires only wealthy apparel. He emphasizes the negative results of narcissism by blinding Mathilde with that trait
The story introduces the reader to a young lady named Madame Loisel who is a self-absorbed woman who never seems to be satisfied with what she has, no matter how much that may be. This is exhibited when it states in the text, “She suffered constantly, feeling that all the attributes of a gracious life, every luxury, should rightly have been hers. ”(Maupassant 333). Not only that but she also has the arrogance to bring her poor husband into the matter by complaining to him whenever the mood strikes her to wish for something she can not have.
She longed so eagerly to charm, to be desired, to be wildly attractive and sought after”(1). Madame Loisel yearns to be rich and adored, but she is not. Another example of situational irony in “The Necklace” is Mathilde and her husband live in poverty for ten years trying to pay back a diamond necklace Mathilde lost. Mathilde borrows a necklace from her friend Madame Forestier, but then loses it. It will cost thirty six thousand francs to pay for a new one.
In an effort to be the richest of the rich for one night, Mathilde subjects herself to a life of misery. Her loss of Madame Forestier’s necklace makes her come to know “the ghastly life of abject poverty... And this life lasted ten years”(7). Mathilde suffers through years of poverty solely because she wants to feel wealthy. Mathilde also believes that her misery is justified because the necklace she loses is extremely expensive, but she learns that this is also untrue.
Mathilde was no longer as beautiful and youthful as before, the author states “Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become like all the other strong, hard, coarse women of poor households (7).” Her husband now works two jobs while Mathilde scrubbed the floor and washed the dirty linen by hand when before they had a maid to do their laundry. Furthermore, to make the situation even more ironic, this harsh life could have been easily avoided. As Mathilde was deciding which necklace to wear to the gala, she faces a variety of beautiful golds and riches that cost more than she could ever imagine.
Maupassant uses Madame Loisel, the protagonist, to show irony in almost all it’s forms. Maupassant first shows irony thourgh Mathilde’s life,“The girl was one of those pretty and charming young creatures who sometimes are born... into a family of clerks… Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries. ”(Maupassant, 1) Mathilde feels like she deserves all the luxuries in life, because of the sole fact that she is pretty, she had no money nor rank; she still believed that she should be wed to rich men, this is an example of situational irony.
A Change in Mathilde Loisel “The Necklace” “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” - Frederick Douglass. This quote is explored in the short story, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, as he introduces a low-middle-class, materialistic women named Mathilde Loisel who is unhappy at the level of her life and one who goes through complicated struggles. Mathilde Loisel changes throughout the story because over a ten year span, she realizes what it means to live a life in impoverishment. Towards the end, she changed from the demanding work she had to do. Another change in her personality is when she is described as a peasant woman guarding every coin of her allowance.
When Maupassant conveys Madame Loisel’s dream he said “She dreamed of great drawing rooms dressed with old silk” The premodifier “great” once again refers to the theme greed which is shown throughout the story. Although she is living in a steady life, Madame Loisel always desires for better. Maupassant can be seen as a misogynist here as Madame Loisel is portrayed as a greedy lady who does not know how to cherish what she currently has. She continues to complain on her plain and ordinary lifestyle even though there are many more underprivileged people living in the
In both these stories, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, the themes of human heartbreak and materialism are closely examined, through the characters’ dreams, minds, and worlds. An example of this would be the portrayal of the main characters’ relationships with others, and their desperate attempts to impress others through assets. In both these stories, irony is a common theme, with materialism being at the crux of each characters’ eventual downfall, and their misguided ideals of love. The stories emphasize a bleak and depressing world; The opening paragraphs of “The Gift of the Magi” show that life is more heartache than joy: “life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating”.
“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.
In the second paragraph of the story the author states that she is suffering because she doesn't have the things she wants by saying, “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury. She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains.” (Guy de Maupassant 2) “She had no clothes, no jewels, nothing. And these were the only things she loved;” (Guy de Maupassant 2) The author included this to let the readers know what kind of “Poverty” Matilde was living in. Mathilde doesn't seem to love her husband as much.
Although Mathilde considers herself to be born deprived from all refinements of life, she is more beautiful than any character in the story, as the passage suggests,“She was prettier than all others, elegant, gracious, smiling and crazy with joy.” (De Maupassant). On the other hand, Della’s hair is so gorgeous that it could even devalue the queen of Sheba’s jewels (Henry). Another similarity between Mathilde and Della is that both of them are affected due to their lack of money. Della suffers because she struggles to buy Jim a present (Henry).
(227). Mathilde's dishonest behavior represents her fear of appearing ordinary in front of society, when in fact, taking Madame Forestier’s necklace to appear affluent is an act. Her actions, conversations, and thoughts let readers understand Mathilde's distinct
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