...A Comparison of Two Stories with the Same Theme Angela Baer ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Instructor Hinton September, 3, 2013 In comparing two short stories that include similar themes such as Country Lovers (1975) by Nadine Gordimer and The Necklace (1884) by Guy de Maupassant; it is apparent that not only do they share the same theme of gender roles and marriage they also share the underlying theme of prejudice and stereotyping as well. Both women in these stories marry within their socioeconomic caste and race. However, both women also suffer from prejudice, whether by their hand or the hand of someone else. It is a struggle of women that has been handed down through the ages. The fact that these two stories Country Lovers (1975) and The Necklace (1884) were written almost a century apart and contain the same theme proves this plight for equality of women. Country Lovers (1975) by Nadine Gordimer not only deals with gender roles and arranged marriages but also with racism. This underlying theme of racism is not surprising; since Gordimer lived in South Africa during the apartheid movement. Ms. Gordimer was very much against this socioeconomic movement and included this tone in her writing (Clugston, 2010). Ms. Gordimer once wrote that the importance of great literature is its power to change the consciousness of the reader even if they are unaware it had been done (Gordimer, 2001).This idea is what she wished to accomplish with her writings. She...
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... Literary Analysis of “The Necklace” In the short story of “The Necklace,” Guy De Maupassant narrates about a woman who just cannot seem to be happy and dreams about being rich. Maupassant uses imagery and symbolism to convey his theme as well as the value of a false materialism in the story. The narrator uses the necklace as a symbol to show us the biggest deception of appearances. At the story’s heart is a masterful depiction of the protagonist, Loisel Mathilde. She is a young, beautiful, charming, materialistic, discontent and snobbish lady. Mathilde agrees to marry a clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction, who always tries to make her happy. Mathilde cares very much about beautiful things and appearances that, in fact, do not match with her reality. She borrows a necklace and loses it, and then spends ten years of hard life paying back the cost of the lost necklace. Maupassant shows ironic situation by using a necklace as a symbol to illustrate Mathilde’s obsession with wealth and her dishonesty, which cause her downfall in the story. The protagonist, Mathilde, lives in middle-class society but longs to be a member of high-class society. She spends most of her time envying everybody with a sweeter life than her own. Maupassant narrates that Mathilde has a little peasant girl who works in her house and washes the dishes and does other housework; this indicates that she has a decent...
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...In the short story, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant it describes an ungrateful woman who in the end got what she deserved. Mathilde Loisel is a woman who desired to live the fancy life, but is too poor. Later on, Mathilde’s husband receives an invitation to a fancy ball, but instead of being excited, Mathilde is upset that she doesn’t have a dress or any jewelry. She ends up getting a necklace from a friend. Then, she ends up going to the ball, but afterwards she loses the necklace she borrowed in a cab. She has her husband look for it, but he had no luck. After not being able to find it they decide to buy a replacement and end up spending a lot of time and money to replace it. In the end of the story Mathilde finds out that the original...
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...Comparing “The Story of an Hour” and “The Necklace” Short stories are always very enjoyable to read. They are very concise but mostly have such a deep message resonating throughout the text that the reader is left pondering over an extension of the story to imagine the possible ending if they were novels instead. The works under consideration are meant to be compared because of their unique theme which reflects how two authors can write similar yet distinctive stories in different times. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant are two such short stories whose themes center around role of gender and marriage with special focus on the female characters. Even though there are similarities, there are also differences which I plan on discussing in more detail, differences such as the two female characters one experiences death while the other a lesson from life. “The Story of an Hour” revolves around the female character Louise Mallard who has been gently told that her husband died in a railroad disaster, news which Richard, her husband’s friend learnt from somewhere. Since Mrs. Mallard is a heart patient she feels very depressed and seeks to sit in solitude as she learns about her husband Brently’s death. As the story unfolds one learns that Louise Mallard is in fact more “free” and utters the word repeatedly as she realizes that she will be independent from this time onwards. She fantasizes her freedom staring blankly out the window knowing...
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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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... March 5, 2015 When you compare and contrast it can lead up to having antonyms or synonyms. Two characters and two short stories that have their similarities and differences is Della in The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry and Mathilde in The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant. It is said that all women like to shop and look fabulous and with Della and Mathilde they both want an accessory they cannot afford, but Della wants to use her possession in a thoughtful way and Mathilde wants to use her possession in a selfish way. Also Mathilde makes everyone sacrifice but in the end she has to sacrifice while with Della, she sacrifices to show her companion how much he is loved. ”She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.” (Henry 352). Mathilde in order to get one of the many necessities she wants, she makes her husband sacrifice the money that he wants to save up for himself on her. “ Finally she answered,’ I’m not sure exactly, but I think with four hundred francs I could manage it.’ He turned a bit pale, he had set aside just that amount to buy a rifle so that the following summer, he could join some friends who were getting up a group to shoot larks on the plain near Nanterre.” (Guy De Maupassant 200). Whereas Della sacrifices her most prized item, her hair, to raise money to purchase a gold watch chain for her lover, which he had been wanting for a long time. “She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity...
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...short story, “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant illustrates a dynamic character. The author illustrates: Her tastes were simple because she had never been able to afford any other, but she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her [....][…] She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury.[…]All these things, of which other women of her class would not even have been aware, tormented and insulted her. […]The day of the party arrived. Madame Loisel was a success[….][…]Madame Loisel came to know the ghastly life of abject poverty. […]She came to know the heavy work of the house, the hateful duties of the kitchen. […]And, clad like a poor woman, she went to the fruiterer, to the grocer, to the butcher, a basket on her arm, haggling, insulted, fighting for every wretched halfpenny of her money. (de Maupassant) This quote describes a drastic change in the protagonist, the author narrates “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury.” She lives in an illusionary world where her actual life does not match the ideal life she has in her head; she believes that her beauty and charm makes her worthy of greater things. “The day of the party arrived. Madame Loisel was a success” The party is a triumph because for the first time, her appearance matches the reality of her life. She is prettier than the other women, sought after by the men, and generally admired and flattered by all. (de Maupassant) Her life is as she feels...
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...Alsup ENG 125 Colin Garretson October 27, 2012 Theme and Narrative of “The Necklace” I have chosen Guy de Maupassant “The Necklace” to analyze in this week’s paper. This story is based on a couple who is in love, but not necessarily happy. Madame Loisel made do with what she had throughout life, but wanted better and wanted people to look up to her. “The Necklace” revolves around an outstanding piece of diamond jewelry. Madame Loisel is obsessed with this necklace and wants to be adorned by the other women at the party. Madame Loisel’s husband worked in the Department of Education. They were not well of people but made it through life. Madame Loisel always longed for more than what she had. As stated, she suffered intensely, feeling herself born for every delicacy and every luxury. She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the worn walls, the abraded chairs, the ugliness of the stuffs.” (Clugston, 2010). Monsieur Loisel handed her, an invitation to a party for “The Minister of Education” requesting their attendance, she was not elated as he was in hopes she would be. The reason being is that she did not have a dress exquisite enough to wear. After offering to buy her a dress for the party, she still was not satisfied. “All right. I will give you four hundred francs. But take care to have a pretty dress.” (Clugston, 2010). She needed Jewelry. He offered flowers but she needed to be adorned by the other women by wearing jewels and showing that she...
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...Theme and Narrative of “The Necklace” I have chosen Guy de Maupassant “The Necklace” to analyze in this week’s paper. This story is based on a couple who is in love, but not necessarily happy. Madame Loisel made do with what she had throughout life, but wanted better and wanted people to look up to her. “The Necklace” revolves around an outstanding piece of diamond jewelry. Madame Loisel is obsessed with this necklace and wants to be adorned by the other women at the party. Madame Loisel’s husband worked in the Department of Education. They were not well of people but made it through life. Madame Loisel always longed for more than what she had. As stated, she suffered intensely, feeling herself born for every delicacy and every luxury. She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the worn walls, the abraded chairs, the ugliness of the stuffs.” (Clugston, 2010). Monsieur Loisel handed her, an invitation to a party for “The Minister of Education” requesting their attendance, she was not elated as he was in hopes she would be. The reason being is that she did not have a dress exquisite enough to wear. After offering to buy her a dress for the party, she still was not satisfied. “All right. I will give you four hundred francs. But take care to have a pretty dress.” (Clugston, 2010). She needed Jewelry. He offered flowers but she needed to be adorned by the other women by wearing jewels and showing that she measured up to them. “You will wear some natural flowers.” (Clugston...
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...The short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant portrays that when greed and selfishness take control over a person,bad things are sure to come. In the beginning, a woman named Mathilde is sobbing over her life in poverty: she is blinded by her own tears to see how lucky she is to have a husband who goes to the end of the world to make her happy. As the story progresses, Mathilde has a crisis because she has nothing nice to wear to the ball, but since it was her time to shine, her thoughtful husband gave her all the money he had saved; thus, the only thing left to do was wear a fine piece of jewelry for that evening (a diamond necklace borrowed from Madame Forestier). After arriving to the ball, Mat admired her, and she had a glorious...
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...Gender Roles and/or Marriage ENG 125: Introduction to Literature In Guy De Maupassant's, "The Necklace" and Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour" the characters are females who struggle with inner conflicts. Many differences as well as likenesses are identified between the two characters, which would like to make major changes in their life. “The settings of the stories take place in the late 1800's, which during this time women were restricted from doing many things such as: working outside of the home, they were controlled by their spouses, and they had to be subservient females”(Wikipedia). Mrs. Mallard is the main character in "The Story of an Hour" and Mrs. Loisel is the character in "The Necklace." The type of tone the writers chose for the main characters were discontent women, who yearned for a better life than their current one. Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is the story of Mathilde Loisel, who resents her current lifestyle. When Monsieur Loisel presents his wife with an invitation to a formal ball, she bursts into tears because she has nothing elegant to wear. Mathilde's husband agrees to let her buy a gown, and, following his suggestion, she borrows a beautiful necklace from a friend. As a result, she has a wonderful time at the ball. Upon returning home she realizes that she has lost the necklace she borrowed from her friend. The Loisels replace it with a similar one, for which they enter into debt for ten years. One day Mathilde sees her old friend and...
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...learning skills. Short stories are always very enjoyable to read. They are very concise but mostly have such a deep message resonating throughout the text that the reader is left pondering over an extension of the story to imagine the possible ending if they were novels instead. The works under consideration are meant to be compared because of their unique theme which reflects how two authors can write similar yet distinctive stories in different times. In anything you write or read there are some similarities and differences with another piece of literature. I would like to share the difference and similarity on the theme GenderRoles/Marriage. The corresponding works that I have selected are “The Story of an Hour (Chopin)” and “The Necklace (de Mauppassant).” I chose to analyze these particular because this subject hits home. I love to read love and romance novels, short stories, and poems. The story of an Hour was my favorite piece of literature from the listed. I think everyone that reads this will have a private perspective. When Mrs. Louise hears from her sister Josephine and friend Richard, of her husband’s death, she reacts with obvious grief, and although, her reaction is perhaps more violent than other women, it is still appropriate. Louis begins to realize that she is now an independent woman and this realization enlivens and excites her. She had a secret. Her private thoughts were her secrets. She tried to squench the joy she feels but such resistance forbidden...
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...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 and had to pay thirty-six thousand francs and that was the reason why she took so long to return it to her ten years ago. And ten years ago today, she was finally able to breathe. But Madame Forestier is speechless for the moment. “Mathilde, you silly woman! My necklace was simply vintage costume jewelry! Honestly, it was only worth about five hundred francs!” Mathilde dropped to her...
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...learning skills. Short stories are always very enjoyable to read. They are very concise but mostly have such a deep message resonating throughout the text that the reader is left pondering over an extension of the story to imagine the possible ending if they were novels instead. The works under consideration are meant to be compared because of their unique theme which reflects how two authors can write similar yet distinctive stories in different times. In anything you write or read there are some similarities and differences with another piece of literature. I would like to share the difference and similarity on the theme GenderRoles/Marriage. The corresponding works that I have selected are “The Story of an Hour (Chopin)” and “The Necklace (de Mauppassant).” I chose to analyze these particular because this subject hits home. I love to read love and romance novels, short stories, and poems. The story of an Hour was my favorite piece of literature from the listed. I think everyone that reads this will have a private perspective. When Mrs. Louise hears from her sister Josephine and friend Richard, of her husband’s death, she reacts with obvious grief, and although, her reaction is perhaps more violent than other women, it is still appropriate. Louis begins to realize that she is now an independent woman and this realization enlivens and excites her. She had a secret. Her private thoughts were her secrets. She tried to squench the joy she feels but such resistance forbidden...
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...Compare and contrast “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “The Necklace” Dreams, sacrifice, marital unhappiness and escapism are often themes involving men and women in English Literature. Throughout history, stories have been filled with main characters living out fantasies and dreams, hoping for more out of their own lives, only to find they had what they wanted right in front of them, all along. These aforementioned these are the main focuses of the two stories I am going to write about, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” by James Thurber and “The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant. The main characters in these two stories are, Walter Mitty, in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and Mathilde Loisel in “The Necklace.” Both characters are dreamers of a different, fancier or exciting life, which ultimately cause problems for each character. This paper will compare and contrast these two stories by showing, although each was written very differently, both are from different time periods, different languages, different social settings, and each have different outcomes, they are still very much the same. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” it portrays the inner soliloquy of a man’s mind flowing in and out of fantasies as he completes his routine tasks on an otherwise routine day. Walter Mitty is trapped in an unhappy marriage with an overbearing wife, who runs his life in every moment she is present in the story. Walter’s story begins deep in a fantasy battle, operating...
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