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Analysis of the short story the necklace
Essay analysis the necklace
Critique of the "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. essay
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Its about having honesty and that is what can make the biggest change in life. This is explained in the short story, "The Necklace," by Guy de Maupassant as he introduces us to Mathilde about that honesty is the best way to in life. Mathilde grew up as a person who didn't dress well, look pretty, and charming because she would never be happy about it. Mathilde soon got a paper about an invitation to a ball at the Ministry, but she had no idea what to wear and look like. Madame Forestier invited Mathilde over to look at some jewelry she could wear for the ball. Mathilde found a diamond necklace that she thought was perfect and just right for her. As the day of the ball came around, Mathilde has so much fun that she had no thought in all of what
Situational irony is used in both O’Henry’s “The Ransom of Red Chief” and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant but the effect of the techniques on the tone of each story is very different. In O’Henry’s story, the protagonist, Red Chief, is being kidnapped by two criminals, Bill and Sam. There are many ironic events that occur in the story. For example, the reader expects Red Chief to want to go back home to his family but instead, he is having the time of his life. As hard as Bill tries, he cannot even send him home. Bill utters to Sam, “‘I showed him the road to Summit and kicked him about eight feet nearer there at one kick’” (6). This is comical because it is using a literary technique known as slapstick comedy. The reader can imagine Bill swinging his leg and kicking Red Chief all the way back to Summit. Another example of situational irony in the story is that the reader would expect that Red Chief to be scared but what is actually happening is that Bill is terrified. While speaking with Sam, Bill complains about Red chief yet again, “‘I’ve stood by you without batting an eye ...
To start off with, Mathilde had many conflicts she had to face during the story. First, she was poor and low in the social class. In the textbook it says, “she dressed plainly because she could not afford fine clothes.” She does not have money to buy new clothes because she is poor. Secondly, she got invited to the ball but had no evening clothes. “Only I don’t have an evening dress and therefore I can’t go to the affair.” Mathilde is poor and does not own an evening dress and can’t afford a dress she thinks she can’t go to the ball. Next, she has no jewelry to wear. . “It’s embarrassing not to have a jewel or gem-nothing to wear on my dress. I’ll look pauper.” She has no jewels or gems to go with her dress. Finally, she overcame many conflicts
Do you have a problem choosing wants over needs? If so, you are not the only one! Everyone whether they realize it or not, 95% of the time, chooses their wants, rather than fulfilling their needs. Many people get caught up in the decision of putting their wants before their needs.
Telling the truth will always prevent future conflicts. Author Guy De Maupassant who lived from 1850 to 1893 proves in the story of “The Necklace,” that no matter how bad a situation is, speaking with the truth is always best. Now, this author does not prove this theme directly. Instead, throughout various situations in the story the main characters are faced with a long-term conflict because decisions were not made with honesty. Mathilde and Loisel who is her husband, who works as a clerk at the Ministry of Public Instructions, were both faced with a conflict that could have been prevented. For instance, Mathilde asked her friend Mme. Forestier if she could borrow a beautiful piece of jewelry for a ball event her husband Loisel had been invited to. Unfortunately, Mathilde loses the borrowed necklace and suggest that since it belongs to her rich friend it was worth more than what they could ever afford. Mathilde and Loisel decide to not tell Mme. Forestier about the lost necklace and instead they buy her a similar one. However, the one they buy is worth a lot more than what the lost necklace was worth. They both end up working multiple jobs for 10 years in order to pay off the necklace. The moral of this story is that everyone should always speak with the truth, because Mathilde and Loisel could have avoided this conflict if only they had told Mme. Forestier about the lost necklace. Many factors such as lying, desiring other’s valuables, and being so attentive to what people might think, is a good way that a situation like Mathilde’s could have been avoided.
"The necklace itself is representative of the theme of appearances versus reality.”(Gale) Guy de Maupassant was a popular French writer who wrote many short stories. One of his most popular works is “The Necklace”. The story is about a girl named Mathilde Loisel who has always dreamed of something she can never have, and just when she gets a chance, she loses her friend’s necklace that makes her life turn for the worse. Maupassant develops his theme of the deception of appearance throughout the story with the use of irony, characterization, and symbolism.
There are three different types of irony. There is dramatic irony, which is where the reader knows more the character actually does. For example horror films, when you the scary monster is under the bed but the character does not know. Verbal irony, which is when you say something and actions show otherwise. For example relationships, when your husband tells you he loves you and then has an affair with another women. Situational irony, which is where expecting something to happen in a certain situation and it, ends up being the complete opposite of what you thought would have happened. For examples cops, when cops get tickets for getting pulled over for speeding. Irony is a huge part of story telling. It’s the suspense that irony
Other details in the story also have a similar bearing on Mathilde’s character. For example, the story presents little detail about the party scene beyond the statement that Mathilde is a great “success” (7)—a judgment that shows her ability to shine if given the chance. After she and Loisel accept the fact that the necklace cannot be found, Maupassant includes details about the Parisian streets, about the visits to loan sharks, and about the jewelry shop in order to bring out Mathilde’s sense of honesty and pride as she “heroically” prepares to live her new life of poverty. Thus, in “The Necklace,” Maupassant uses setting to highlight Mathilde’s maladjustment, her needless misfortune, her loss of youth and beauty, and finally her growth as a responsible human being.
In Guy de Maupassant’s story, The Necklace, he utilizes situational irony in order to highlight the theme. He displays this irony in order to reveal several themes that can be observed in the story. One of the major themes in this short story is how appearances can be misleading.
In the stories “Story of an Hour”, “Everyday Use”, “The Necklace”, and “The Lottery” it is evident that irony was quite a large part of the short story. There is situational irony, which is when the situation turns out differently than expected. Also, dramatic irony is present, which is when you as a reader knows more than the character. The authors seem to base their whole story around irony to surprise their readers.
If you have something already should be proud of what you have and not think of all the things you think you deserve because you can't get what you don't have without giving effort and the final result will be worse. Guy de Maupassant's parents got divorced when he was 11 and his mother was raising him alone. He always looked differently at the rich, so he decided to write a short story on how people should treat everything they have with care and not ask for more than you can afford because the final result may be worse. In "The Necklace" he develops his theme of how objects can change people through the literary terms situational irony and foreshadowing.
Continuing from her complaints of not having a jeweled accessory, her husband offered an alternative of stylish flowers only to reply with “No; there’s nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other women who are rich” Mathilde is constantly lusting after a luxurious lifestyle, believing that she was born for the upper class, and refusing to appear any less of it. When Mathilde went to borrow her friend’s jewelry she looked through many different accessories, asking Mine. Forestier is she had more. Out of all the strands she picked the “superb necklace of diamonds” one, arguably one of the most expensive gems, taking it with ” her heart beating in immoderate desire.” After the ball was over, before Mathilde and her husband went home, he threw over her shoulders a modest wrap of common life to keep her warm. Mathilde was not pleased as she “wanted to escape so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were enveloping themselves in costly furs.”, again ungrateful to her husband’s kindness. She was paranoid about being seen with such rags, she did not listen to her husband’s suggestion to wait indoors while he hails a cab so she wouldn’t catch a cold. Between the transition of the ball to their home, the necklace was lost, Instead of telling the truth to Jeanne Forestier, they bought a replacement causing the two to live 10 long years of debt and
In “The Necklace,” Mathilde’s internal struggle is with herself. She mentally battled with the physical and financial limitations placed on her, but more with her own soul. She was unhappy with her place in life and could not accept the simplicity of her station, believing it to be truly beneath her. “All those things… tortured her and made her angry. “ Her husband’s blatant acceptance of their place only fueled her frustrations further.
The themes in “The Necklace” are hidden, but they are arguably too hidden. They are hidden to the point where a theme is lost or a theme is interpreted incorrectly. According to “The Necklace, ” “She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries,” but it is stated later that she owns a maid. Don’t be materialistic is shown clearly, but no other characters contrast the inherently flawed Mathilde, therefore, the audience can portray stereotypes such as all women are materialistic.
The Necklace also displays distinctive realism in the use of socioeconomic influences which are essential to the plot. The major conflict in the story would be absent and the theme would not be obtainable without Mathilde Loisel’s insecurity about her own socioeconomic reputation. An example of Loisel’s self-deprivation nature is presented when she realizes she does not have a necklace, she says “I shall look absolutely no one. I would almost rather not go to the party” (Maupassant, sec. 3). Another example of the self-conflict caused by social pressure is Loisel’s immediate attempt to replace the necklace and her reluctance to speak to her friend Madame Forestier about the necklace for ten whole years. If she were not conflicted by societal pressures she might have avoided the whole situation altogether. The Necklace establishes a realistic difference in value between the necklaces and proposed clothing. Her husband proposes flowers which were valued 10 franks so in any case if she had chosen the flowers there would have been an insignificant economic loss. Her decision not to tell her friend about the necklace ends up costing her seven times the worth of the original. The roses symbolize the simpler things in life to the theme of the story. Mathilde Loisel’s withered appearance at the end
The moral of Guy de Maupassant’s story “The Necklace” seems to be suggested by the line, “What would have happened if Mathilde had not lost the necklace?” If Mathilde had not lost the necklace, or in fact, even asked to borrow the necklace, she and Mr. Loisel would not of been in debt ten long years. Because Mathilde had to borrow the necklace to make herself and others like her better her and Mr. Loisel’s economic situation had become worse than it already was. I think that the moral of the story is that people need to be happy with what they have and not be so greedy.