...In the short story “The Necklace” written by Guy de Maupassant, Maupassant writes a story about a woman who has a middle class social status but longs to live a luxurious lifestyle. Through the entire story Mathilde is displeased with the way she has to live her life as a middle class woman. Mathline character in “The Necklace” changes drastically throughout the story as being ungrateful, to satisfied, then finally distressed. Mathilde was born to a family of clerks and was married to a hardworking middle class clerk in town. In everything she does, it seems that she is never pleased, and feels she deserves more than just a middle class lifestyle. Maupassant wrote that,” She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries. She...
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...The Necklace: The Lost Chapter The term butterfly effect means that a small change in one setting can have a larger impact somewhere else. On one Sunday afternoon, Madame Loisel went for a walk in the Champs Elysees to clear her thoughts after a long week of work. She was simply thinking how long ten years of paying debts distracted her from the possibility of children. Once the thought of children came to mind, “she suddenly perceived a woman who was leading a child. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, and still charming (Maupassant 10).” How astonishing that Mathilde was thinking how differently her life would have been if she had not lost the necklace and had the chance to raise a child and there her eyes were led to Madame Forestier and her child. Mathilde decided she had nothing else to lose, so she decided to walk up to Madame Forestier to simply say hello. “Good-day, Jeanne (Maupassant 10).” Jeanne did not recognize Mathilde because Mathilde had aged greatly and looked worn like an old leather wallet about to fall apart. Mathilde explained to her good friend that it was because of her she had great poverty. Jeanne confused and almost offended asked: “I’m sorry; I don’t seem to understand how I am the cause of your hardship? The last time we saw each other everything seemed fine!” Mathilde then relayed the memory of returning the diamond necklace but that it was a substitute necklace. She told Jeanne she lost the original necklace at the ball...
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...“The Necklace” Literary Analysis In the short story “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant uses literary devices such as situational irony and symbolism in order to effectively convey the theme of deceptiveness of appearances. Mathlide Loisel, who was born in a family of clerks and desires to be a member of the elite class, blames the mistake of destiny for her place in society. She longs to live a life of leisure and luxury, but this urge to appear wealthy ultimately makes her and her husband worse of financially than they were before. With the use of irony, Maupassant illustrates how excessive pride can mangle and deteriorate the lives of people who obsess over wealth and physical appearances. Guy de Maupassant uses symbolism to describe a deeper meaning behind the fake necklace, which would be the division between appearance and reality. In “The Necklace,” it is clear to the readers that Mathilde cannot come to terms with her place in the middle class. She’s the wife to a clerk, who can provide her with a modest lifestyle. Although she is aware that she cannot escape this position, she refuses to accept it. The first instance of irony is when Mathilde begins to daydream and fanaticize. She is a “pretty and charming” girl who thinks that she is “born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries.” Destiny however placed her in the middle class, where she cannot afford these materialistic items. The only way she can be a part of a more elite class was through her own imagination....
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