“It 's better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife” (Proverbs 21:19, New Living Translation). In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace” (n.d.), poor Loisel learns this lesson the hard way by marrying the arrogant, self-absorbed, ungrateful Mathilde. As Mathilde dreams of a life of fame and fortune and frets about her perceived poverty and inadequate life, Loisel, who is rather content, works tirelessly to make her happy. Throughout the story, the ongoing theme is the continuous torment that Mathilde puts herself through as she laments what she sees as the dire state of her existence. She goes so far as to blame others for this dissatisfaction, never considering that she may be the cause of the turmoil …show more content…
Although the text states that “with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of family and birth” (para. 2) the author mentions that “she let herself be married” (para. 1) to a man that she considers beneath her. The author leads the reader to believe that there is something that Mathilde could do to attain a husband of influence as she desires by fully utilizing her “beauty, grace, and charm” (para. 2), but she simply does not put forth the effort required and, therefore, settles. While her husband is not the man of her dreams, he proves to be someone who loves her dearly and will go to great measures to provide a fulfilling life for her. Later, Mathilde bemoans the sight of the peasant that does her housework (para. 3). If Mathilde were truly living in the impoverished conditions that she claims to be in she would not have the means to hire a maid to work for her. Many would consider this a luxury. Then, upon being invited to a ball with a very selective guest list, Mathilde goes on to complain about having nothing to wear, although her husband points out that she has a “gown [that she goes] to the theatre in” (para. 16) that looks just fine. Even so, he gives her money to purchase a new gown that measures up to what she feels is appropriate for the ball. Still not satisfied, Mathilde insists she needs jewelry or else she will “look poverty-stricken” (para. 32). As much as her …show more content…
When Mathilde goes to her friend’s house to borrow the necklace she is taken with its exquisite beauty and “her heart throb[s] with an immoderate desire” (para. 45). Although Mathilde does not know the value of the necklace at the time, it appears very luxurious. It exhibits precisely the characteristics that she wishes for others to perceive her as having. Later, when Mathilde loses the necklace, she does not want to tell her friend. She fears that Madame Forestier will mistake “[her] for a thief” (para. 91). Although she is not guilty of stealing, her fear of being viewed in such a way is enough to lead her to a decision that will change the course of her life. After ten years of arduous labor, Mathilde and her husband finally pay off the debt taken out to replace the lost necklace. Mathilde happens to run into Madame Forestier again. During this encounter, she learns the true value of the necklace when her friend states that the “necklace was paste” (para. 121) and “it was worth at most only five hundred francs” (para. 121). What a devastating blow – to find out that the very thing that still stirs up such feelings of royalty within her is a fake! This serves as the final proof that things are only as wonderful or awful as you believe them to
In “The Necklace”, Mathilde feels she has been born into a family of unfavorable economic status. She’s so focused on what she doesn’t have. She forgets about her husband who treats her good. She gets too carried away being someone someone
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
The Necklace is a great example of how our desires can create tragedy rather than happiness. Madame Forestier would have rather been idolized for her wealth instead of buying items that grant her survival. She says,”It’s just that I have no evening dress and so I can’t go to the party.” which explains well how she had a finite amount of money and thought material wealth was more important than happiness. If she only knew before that she would spend the next decade working off her debt, she would have never asked for the necklace and she would have had a happy life. Furthermore, wealth isn’t the only thing that brings happiness to a life.
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.
Mme. Loisel is the protagonist in the short story “The Necklace”. She is a young beautiful woman who feels she has been short changed by her social standing in life. She feels she belongs to a world of wealth and vanity but is relegated to the role of a commoner because of her family heritage. This status continues as “she let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instructions”.
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
Values are spread all around the world, and many people’s values differ. These can lead to people being judged, or indirectly characterized by other people. In “The Necklace” Mme. Loisel is a beautiful woman with a decent life, and a husband that loves her, and only wants to make her happy. She is not rich but she makes it along, she insists of a better, wealthier life. When her husband gets her invited to a ball, she feels the need for a brand new fancy dress and tons of jewelry. When the couple realizes they cannot afford jewelry as well, they search out to borrow her friend, Mme. Forestiers’ necklace. She comes to notice she no longer has the necklace on when she leaves the ball. This later troubles her, as she has to work for a long time to collect enough money to buy a new necklace. This story describes the relationship between a couple, who have different dreams, and how desires can revamp your life. Guy de Maupassant, the author of “The Necklace” uses literary devices to prove people come before materialistic items.
At the beginning of the story, Mathilde is relatively innocent to the idea of a high-class reputation. The author writes that “she had no expectations…was born into a family of clerks by mistake.” Her pride at the beginning of the story is almost absent. She encountered
Loisel repaid the necklace together with their sweat and tears. Mathilde didn’t have a choice; she had to change from a vain, ungrateful, material, bored wife, into a hardworking proud and loving wife. She even says, right before she runs into Mme. Forestier, “What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!”(39) In that quote I saw 2 things, when she asked herself what would have happened if she didn’t lose the necklace, she doesn’t go into some fairytale about what life she could be living, she just accepts what she is now, even if it’s not the easiest life in the world. At the very end of that quote “How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!”(39) The fact that she added “or to be saved!” to her thought, tells me that she realizes that she was vain and unappreciated and that she lacked character, but now she is grateful, even though it was such a terrible thing, she was grateful that she was able to say that she was a better person now, even after everything that happened to her than she ever “dreamed” of being before. Guy de Maupassant certainly described a very difficult hardship for Mathilde in “The Necklace” but in the end, everything that happened to her, made her a much better and stronger woman inside and out. This story teaches a very important lesson, you have no idea what you can do and who you can become, until your chips are down and you’re put between a rock and a hard
There comes a time in a woman’s life where she tends to become bitter and ungrateful. It is natural to feel that way in any time period for young women coming to age as they do not realize what they have to do stay beautiful. Some women can even get so caught up in their life, that no one, not even their husband really matter to them. In “The Necklace”, by Guy de Maupassant it reveals Mathilde’s selfish and conceited ways, as she is not thankful for an invitation Mr. Loisel gives to her to attend the ball. Although Mathilde may not be the most grateful wife, she learns the hard way of what struggle really is later on in the story. It is clear on a psychological note that Mathilde generates materialistic, unappreciative, and egotistical tendencies.
Around the world, values are expressed differently. Some people think that life is about the little things that make them happy. Others feel the opposite way and that expenses are the way to live. In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, he develops a character, Madame Loisel, who illustrates her different style of assessments. Madame Loisel, a beautiful woman, lives in a wonderful home with all the necessary supplies needed to live. However, she is very unhappy with her life. She feels she deserves a much more expensive and materialistic life than what she has. After pitying herself for not being the richest of her friends, she goes out and borrows a beautiful necklace from an ally. But as she misplaces the closest thing she has to the life she dreams of and not telling her friend about the mishap, she could have set herself aside from ten years of work. Through many literary devices, de Maupassant sends a message to value less substance articles so life can be spent wisely.
It is said that “everything that shines isn't gold.” A difficult situation can result a vast illusion that is not what one thought it would be, which leads to disappointment and despair. Just like Guy De Maupassant stories, “The Necklace” and “The Jewel.” In the first story, the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel’s need for materialistic fulfillment causes her hard labor which ends her natural beauty. In the second story, the husband Monsieur Latin ends up living a dreadful life due to the passing of his wife and her admiration for jewels. “The Necklace” and “The Jewel” both share many similarities such as the unconditional love each husband haves toward their wife, the necessity each wife haves towards materialistic greed, the beautiful allurement
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.
In the short story “The Necklace”, the main character, Loisel, is a woman who dreams of greater things in her life. She is married to a poor clerk who tries his best to make her happy no matter what. In an attempt to try to bring happiness to his wife, he manages to get two invitations to a very classy ball, but even in light of this Loisel is still unhappy. Even when she gets a new dress she is still unhappy. This lasts until her husband suggests she borrows some jewelry from a friend, and upon doing so she is finally happy. Once the ball is over, and they reach home, Loisel has the horrible realization that she has lost the necklace, and after ten years of hard labor and suffering, they pay off debts incurred to get a replacement. The central idea of this story is how something small can have a life changing effect on our and others life’s. This idea is presented through internal and external conflicts, third person omniscient point of view, and the round-dynamic character of Loisel. The third person limited omniscient point-of-view is prevalent throughout this short story in the way that the author lets the reader only see into the main character’s thoughts. Loisel is revealed to the reader as being unhappy with her life and wishing for fancier things. “She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries.” (de Maupassant 887) When her husband tries to fancy things up, “she thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry which peopled the walls…” (de Maupassant 887) As the story goes on her point of view changes, as she “now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover all of a sudden, with heroism.” (de Maupassant 891) Having the accountability to know that the “dreadful debt must be paid.” (de Maupassant 891 ) This point-of-view is used to help the reader gain more insight to how Loisel’s whole mindset is changed throughout her struggle to pay off their debts. Maupassant only reveals the thoughts and feelings of these this main character leaving all the others as flat characters. Loisel is a round-dynamic character in that Maupassant shows how she thought she was born in the wrong “station”. “She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as though she had really fallen from her proper station.
Guy de Maupassant is a realist whose claim to fame is the style in which he conveys political and socioeconomic themes in his literary publications. He achieves his writing style by putting small unfortunate life events under a spotlight. His literary performance is described in his biography from Cambridge, the writer says “He exposes with piercing clarity the small tragedies and pathetic incidents of everyday life, taking a clear-sighted though pessimistic view of humanity” (Halsey, par. 1). Guy de Maupassant’s story The Necklace is a great representation of the style he uses. In The Necklace the main character Mathilde Loisel a beautiful but impoverished woman married to a clerk is in conflict with her lack of wealth and desire to acquire