Analytical Essay about "The Necklace".

ANALYICAL ESSAY (NECKLACE) The consequences of dissatisfaction are not beneficial in life circumstances. In de Maupassant’s story, “The Necklace’’, the effects of discontentment are clearly indicated. The story is about Mathild Loisel, who dreams of living an extravagant lifestyle, and suffers endlessly for her selfish desires. She has the type of husband who would give up anything for his wife, which, in fact, he does give up practically everything to satisfy his spouse. When he eats meals with his wife, he appreciates it. To him the food is delicious even though he might not have ever been able to afford anything better; yet he believes that nothing could possibly be better than it. Although her husband regards her in high esteem, and shows enough care, Mathild is still ungrateful towards her husband despite his efforts to make her happy. Even when her husband gives her the Education Minister’s invitation to participate in a memorable event, Mathide is still gloomy, rather than being pleased. Mathid Loisel’s greed, and egocentric tendency made her life change from mediocrity to poverty. Mathilde Loisel’s character changes sequentially as the story develops. In the beginning, Mathilde is depicted as impolite, and repulsive. While reading the story, the reader is tempted to dislike Madame Mathilde because she is a self-centered individual who does not care about the level of income in the family, but rather keeps on dreaming about what she could have. She also had always wanted to gain pride through having material possessions. She has the option of wearing the outfit she owns, but she feels inferior and desires flashy outfits. Her sense of self-importance at the important event is essentially claimed without right since it stems only from her outfit, but the dignitaries at the event do not realize that she borrowed the outfit she is wearing. This feeling lasted for a short while, but the negative consequences of her greed results in the hardships she faces after losing the necklace. Throughout the story, all of the characters, including the reader, are made to believe that this diamond necklace is genuine in its value. However, the story’s main characters and its reader come to find out it was nothing more than fake jewelry. This diamond necklace may be used to symbolize the idea of deceptiveness of appearances since Maupassant deliberately reveals the truth at the end of the story to display that appearances do not always represent the reality of things. Mathilde Loisel does not think of different ways to solve her problem and does not weigh the effects of her decision. When she lost the Necklace, she could have told Mrs Forestier the truth. She later suffers the consequence of her lies, by paying almost forty thousand francs. This exorbitant fee makes her family poor, because they are in debt in order to afford the cost of the Necklace. The unfortunate incident of the fact that the Loisels’ spend years paying their debt for a replacement for what was actually a worthless necklace is just one instance of irony evident in “The Necklace.” Another ironic circumstance is the fact that Mathilde’s beauty, which had been her only valued asset, disappears as a result of her struggle for the necklace. She had borrowed the necklace to be seen as beautiful and she eventually loses her attractive appearance completely. Perhaps the most bitter irony is that the strenuous life that Mathilde must assume after losing the necklace makes her old life—the one she dislikes initially—seem luxurious. She borrows Madame Forestier’s necklace to give the appearance of having more money than she really does, only to lose what she does have. She pays significantly, with her money and looks, for something that has no value to begin with. While reading “The Necklace”, the reader learns the negative consequences associated with greed, selfishness, and dishonesty. Telling the truth and lying can both be convenient at different circumstances. However, in terms of potential consequences and moral values, telling the truth is often better. George Bush led the United States into war with Iraq with the lie that weapons of mass destruction were present there, poised to strike the United States at any moment. None has been found despite months of US occupation in Iraq, and no weapons are likely to be found. De Maupassant’s story, “The Necklace”, highlights the calamities that befall those who bite more than they can chew.