The use of a necklace to adorn oneself can be traced back through the ages, despite having a sole purpose to be aesthetically pleasing and to enhance an outfit, they have been used to demonstrate our individuality; and to show individuals expression of non-conformism in an attempt to distinguish oneself from society (Menninghaus, W. in Robert, K. 2011). Necklaces have been used as complex visual decorations to convey various meanings; cultural, social status to dictate wealth to others, it was even normal at one stage for wealthy ladies to wear more than one necklace at any single time to signify her wealth and class (McCarthy, M). They can be worn to confirm love and loyalty, and in the case of lockets even store our most treasured mementos, such as photographs and locks of hair. For example, in the Zulu tribe, girls often communicated their feelings to boys through jewellery making; they would thoughtfully and delicately make the jewellery, choosing motifs with great care to subtly convey their feelings. (Vanhaeren, M. 2009). By studying jewellery not only can we identify people’s personal tastes, but we can travel back through the ages, especially by studying the materials in which they are made. The earliest known necklaces were discovered to be made from teeth, bones and such materials that were readily available (Gere, C and Rudoe, J. 2010), today however, the variations are never ending, made from varying materials, such semi-precious stones to gold and silver to more affordable materials, such as plastic and glass beads; with a vast amount of designs, from simple and sophisticated to elaborate and over the top. Jewellery can be passed down through family generations, or given as a gift to a loved one. Necklaces have a hig...
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...o bring luck and good fortune for the rest of the month. However, they have not always been viewed as lucky creatures, for example, in the nineteenth century fishermen would refuse to speak the word while out at sea. Whilst in Devon to see a white rabbit would indicate a forthcoming death in a person that was currently ill (Russell, H. (1925). Through the Celtic tribes it was noted that it was taboo to eat rabbit meat, quoting to do so ‘was like eating one’s own grandmother’ (Ezpeleta, A. 1996) this shows us the importance of rabbits and how highly they were regarded throughout history, whilst elsewhere it was considered that eating rabbit meat would cause beauty and vitality. The Celtics also believed that rabbits burrowed underground in order to communicate with the spirit world, and that they could carry messages from the living to the dead. (Ezpeleta, A. 1996).
Maupassant, Guy De, and Joachim Neugroschel. The Necklace and Other Tales. New York: Modern Library, 2003. Print.
A quinceañera receives a gorgeous gift from a family member on her fifteenth birthday, something that she will carry with her forever. In this cultural celebration for our family, it is very important for the father to give his daughter a special jewelry that resembles his love for her on her fifteenth birthday; the way it presents itself, how it would embody her physically, and how it would be carried throughout the years. My father took time and care in choosing the right gift for his princess. The gift that my father gave me was a necklace that touched my heart. It shines when light hits the gold carvings. It glistens in different shades of yellow when the sun comes out. This necklace started as a real gift of nature, so it has some natural variation in the size and shape. Every ornament is unique! The leaf is plated in copper, nickel, and finally gold. The process of the plating leaf into gold made the importance stronger to me, because it is very time consuming. There are two layers of metals applied to the leaf before the gold was applied. These layers help make the leaf very sturdy and long-lasting. It connects to the chain with an oval clip that has small cuts mimicking the shades and shape of a sea shell. The chain has two thin layers of gold crossing together, creating an ong...
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, who travel around with a dream to own their own piece of land. They seek a job after fleeing from Lennie’s recent accidental misconduct during a dreadful period of history, The Great Depression. Similarly, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant regards a beautiful poverty-stricken woman named Mathilde who felt that she was born to enjoy a life full of luxury and glamour. She spends hours and hours daydreaming of a more expensive and ostentatious life though never works toward her dream. The characters’ unattainable dreams influence their lives, behavior, and relationships by keeping them motivated, disciplining themselves, and filling their lives with purpose.
Have you ever wanted to hide something you have done? Have you ever lied to someone about an accident that you caused? Doing these, and a few others, make you human. Madame Loisel, in “The Necklace”, written by Guy De Maupassant, did a few of these things.
Jewelry from the Mesopotamian time period contained precious materials intricately crafted into beautiful ornaments to adorn royalty or the rich with, impacting their society as well as a multitiude of today’s culture within our communities.. Pieces found during excavations displayed their skilled craftsmenship in incorperating metal such as copper, gold, and silver into their work(Sumer). Around 4,000 years ago, jewelers in Mesopotamia began to craft jewelry(Ancient Mesopotamia Jewellery, par. 2). The semiprecios stones: Agate, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and jasper were displayed in their work(Ancient Mesopotamia Jewellery, par. 7). Pieces of jewelry not only served as a wealth status but were also given as wedding gifts(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, pars. 6-9).Citizens of Mesopotamia offered jewelry to gods at temples as well being buried with it in hopes of going to the afterlife(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, par.13). They also decorated statues of gods with jewelry, as it was a spiritual and magical tool for Mesopotamians(Dissecting
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.
In Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" and Toni Morrison's "Recitatif," materialism and the desire to be envied are vital ingredients in the themes of the stories. Both authors enhance their themes through the manipulation of plot and the use of women as their central characters. Maupassant and Morrison prove the notion that women are effective characters in depicting themes that deal with the social issue of craving material wealth.
In the novel “The Necklace” the author gives several things that shows symbolism. The first symbol of the short story “The Necklace” gives us is the main character’s name… Mathilde. The story mentions “She was one of those pretty and charming girls”. This is close to the meaning of Mathilde. The meaning of Mathilde’s name was very ironic to her life, the story quotes, “as if by mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no expectations, no means of being known, understood, loved wedded, by any rich and distinguished man; and she let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction. Mathilde valued expensive and exquisite things, because she believed that it would make her social status look
Between misplacing priorities and self-absorption Mathilde Loisel is created in the story, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. Mathilde has just about everything a woman could want: remarkable beauty, a loving husband, and a comfortable lifestyle. Material riches are the only category in which she believes she is inadequate to other women. This one factor sets up the conflict present in the story. Throughout the turmoil she must endure, due to her egotistical ways, one would think she would have a change in heart and mindset. Mathilde has a dissatisfied disposition that does not evolve even as her situation does; she is disgruntled being in the middle class, as well as attending a first class event, and ultimately being in the working class.
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 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.
As I did research on how others interpreted the story, the same conclusion would pop up. The necklace was used as a symbol of higher class of wealth. We use symbolic items to try and fit into societies belief of “fancy”. The deeper meaning is within the true value of the necklace. It is a fake just as she is! She is trying to be something she is not and ends up losing the necklace which holds a false value as well. This is why a person should not take everything as it
Rosary beads have long been an essential part of our religious lives. The counting of the decades of the rosary is a highly personal experience, and the rosary beads we use to help the counting should be personal too. With so many gemstones and precious metals available, personalizing your rosary beads could not be easier. No matter what your personality traits, there is a rosary out there for you or your loved one.
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
Often in a piece of literature, a story will appear to be about one issue when, in actuality, the author intended it to be about another. In the short stories "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison, the issues of class separation and struggle, though they may appear at first glance to be unimportant, are in fact the central points around which these two stories revolve.