‘The Necklace’, written by Guy de Maupassant in the mid-1800s, is a short story depicting the pitiful situation of a poor, young French girl. Maupassant plays on the growing issues of vanity within society, to coerce the reader into feeling sadness for the main character; Madame Loisel. Maupassant’s over exaggerated writing is quick to reflect the flaws of humanity and, combined with the subtle irony of the text, he communicates the piece’s main theme: lies only lead to hardships.
Much of Maupassant’s story is conversation, echoing the style of traditional storytelling. He acts as an impartial observer, stating the facts as they are and leaving the reader to draw any conclusions regarding the characters’ personality and morality. For example, the fact that the first six paragraphs all start with the third tense pronoun ‘she’, indicates that the narrator is objective towards the events of the story, even though the writer’s choice of vocabulary holds a cynical undertone, as does the speech. Mathilde often say things such as ‘What earthly use is that to me’ in a tone that is described as irritable, to contrast with her lighter tone, and playful alliteration that explore her dreams of wealth. Phrases like ‘spectacle’, ‘oriental tapestries’, ‘pretty little parlours’ and ‘bronze candelabras’ are strong indicators of her love for fortune, something that is a common character trait nowadays. This also indicates a split in her personality; to the world she appears to be cold, hard and undertreated, whereas in her own mind, she is light, happy and free. Maupassant does this in order to make the reader question her character, also foreshadowing a plot-twist, as if to say that people who continue to dream will never move on in life.
Maupassant crafts Mathilde to make her speech seem very arrogant when speaking to anyone whom she feels is lower than her, including her