Guy De Maupassant Jewelry

Imagine being married to someone your whole life and not knowing they had a deep, dark secret all along. In the short story “The Jewelry” by Guy De Maupassant this is the life of the character Mr. Lantin. M.m.e Lantin was known to be a woman who was admired by many and had a fascination for jewelry and the theater. Her husband, Mr. Lantin was always under the impression that the jewelry she owned was fake. Mr Lantin’s dislike for the theater led to M.m.e Lantin often going unattended with friends. Mr. Lantin was ecstatic he didn’t have to attend, until he realized who her friends really were. Only on occasion did M.m.e Lantin ever bring out her jewelry to show Mr. Lantin and when she did Mr. Lantin always claimed she should dress more to her social status. M.m.e Lantin always laughed explaining to her husband how she’s always had a passion for jewelry. This event foreshadows what will soon become the main conflict. This conflict arises when Mr. Lantin discovers the jewelry his wife had obsessed over for years, is real. This crisis leads Mr. Lantin to wild thought including the one the author writes,
Lantin becomes blissful, but tinged with sadness. He was melancholy because he had just came into a great sum of money, even though it came with the price of uncovering his wife’s secret. His feelings lead him towards living a lavish lifestyle and spending his fortune haphazardly. The habits he adapted may be an explanation for the reason he attracted his second wife who made the rest of his life despairing. Towards the end of the book the author mentions, “His second wife was the most upright of spouses, but had a terrible temper. She made his life very miserable.” (Maupassant 73). The result of this story shows meaning on how the way Mr. Lantin chose to live his life, and reflected on the type of people he attracted into it. Although it might not have been satisfying to all readers, it shows a lesson that was learned through his