Confused Values in The Necklace

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Confused Values in The Necklace

To some people, class distinction is very important. Usually we think of class distinction as being of most importance to the higher classes, those who can afford to look down on the rest of the world, but sometimes this concept is of most importance to those who occupy the lower steps of society. These are the people who are stuck where they are, but feel that their true places are at the top of the social ladder. The character of Mme. Loisel in Guy de Moupassant's story "The Necklace" is one such person. She is of the lower classes, but she holds a romantic idea of what life at the top consists of, and it is one of these ideas that eventually gets her into trouble.

The story starts out by describing Mme. Loisel and the contrasts between the world she lives in and the one she dreams of. Her life consists of simple clothes, a plain household full of functional things, and simple, healthy food. She has one servant in her house, her husband holds a good, if unglamourous, job, and they are in general a middle class family. This life is...

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