Literary Analysis Maupassant
Literary Analysis Essay
Cristian Mateo Rey Rojas
603-102-MQ: Short Fiction
Instructor: Kathleen McHale
April 13rd
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is a short story that revolves around an attractive yet dissatisfied woman who seeks to escape her destiny. In describing the events, the author wants to show us that denying the reality of one’s situation can only lead to trouble. Maupassant shows us how appearances can be deceiving through characterization and symbol. The author begins the story by describing Mathilde Loisel as a very envious woman who always dreams of a life that she cannot have. She is a very charming and beautiful woman who thinks that she must have been born into the wrong life, since she has no way
of meeting and marrying a rich man. He gives us a good example at the beginning of the text and demonstrates how difficult it is for her to live her life. “She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as though she had really fallen from her proper station” (course pack 2015, p.102). She does not realize she has a secure and healthy life, as well as a husband who loves her unconditionally. Her intense ambition of appearing rich and wealthy, in the eyes of the rest of the society, keeps her from focusing on her economic reality so that she ends up losing the necklace that Mrs. Forrestier had lent her and, from here, everything that she had, from her beauty and charm to her security and her husband’s savings.
The most impressive is that despite her hardship, she fails to learn from her mistakes. At the end of the text, the author shows us how she blames her friend Mrs. Forestier for her misfortunes. “I have had hard enough, since I have seen you, days wretched enough and that because of you” (course pack 2015, p.106).
Once we have seen how Mathilde lives her unsatisfying life, the author shows us Mrs. Forestier. Mrs. Forestier is Mathilde’s friend who enjoys a “better” and wealthier live because she married a rich man. Even if Mrs. Forestier appears to be wealthy, we can see in the middle of the text that even the wealthiest people’s lives are based on appearances. When Mathilde comes to borrow her diamond necklace, Mrs. Forester knows it was not genuine, but decides to not say a word so as to keep her reputation of being rich and wealthy, as she was supposed to be. Guy de Maupassant uses a diamond necklace as a social symbol that represents wealth and high social status. Normally, a necklace represents beauty, but the author chooses the diamond instead of other stones since diamonds are considered as some of the most precious stones in the world. He wants to make a parallel between Mathilde’s wish of being the wealthiest and the diamond necklace being of the greatest value. Maupassant also shows us how, even in the best scenario (in this case the necklace was borrowed from Mme Forestier who was apparently very rich), appearances do not always represent reality as we discover at the end that this necklace was precious but fake and worthless.
In conclusion, the author shows us clearly what happens when our lives are based on what other people think. We have to accept ourselves as we are in our reality, even if is at first a little hard to accept. If not, in the end, we are the only losers.
References
Course pack. (2015). Short Fiction. The necklace, 102-106. Champlain College Lennoxville
Cristian Mateo Rey Rojas
603-102-MQ: Short Fiction
Instructor: Kathleen McHale
April 13rd
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is a short story that revolves around an attractive yet dissatisfied woman who seeks to escape her destiny. In describing the events, the author wants to show us that denying the reality of one’s situation can only lead to trouble. Maupassant shows us how appearances can be deceiving through characterization and symbol. The author begins the story by describing Mathilde Loisel as a very envious woman who always dreams of a life that she cannot have. She is a very charming and beautiful woman who thinks that she must have been born into the wrong life, since she has no way
of meeting and marrying a rich man. He gives us a good example at the beginning of the text and demonstrates how difficult it is for her to live her life. “She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as though she had really fallen from her proper station” (course pack 2015, p.102). She does not realize she has a secure and healthy life, as well as a husband who loves her unconditionally. Her intense ambition of appearing rich and wealthy, in the eyes of the rest of the society, keeps her from focusing on her economic reality so that she ends up losing the necklace that Mrs. Forrestier had lent her and, from here, everything that she had, from her beauty and charm to her security and her husband’s savings.
The most impressive is that despite her hardship, she fails to learn from her mistakes. At the end of the text, the author shows us how she blames her friend Mrs. Forestier for her misfortunes. “I have had hard enough, since I have seen you, days wretched enough and that because of you” (course pack 2015, p.106).
Once we have seen how Mathilde lives her unsatisfying life, the author shows us Mrs. Forestier. Mrs. Forestier is Mathilde’s friend who enjoys a “better” and wealthier live because she married a rich man. Even if Mrs. Forestier appears to be wealthy, we can see in the middle of the text that even the wealthiest people’s lives are based on appearances. When Mathilde comes to borrow her diamond necklace, Mrs. Forester knows it was not genuine, but decides to not say a word so as to keep her reputation of being rich and wealthy, as she was supposed to be. Guy de Maupassant uses a diamond necklace as a social symbol that represents wealth and high social status. Normally, a necklace represents beauty, but the author chooses the diamond instead of other stones since diamonds are considered as some of the most precious stones in the world. He wants to make a parallel between Mathilde’s wish of being the wealthiest and the diamond necklace being of the greatest value. Maupassant also shows us how, even in the best scenario (in this case the necklace was borrowed from Mme Forestier who was apparently very rich), appearances do not always represent reality as we discover at the end that this necklace was precious but fake and worthless.
In conclusion, the author shows us clearly what happens when our lives are based on what other people think. We have to accept ourselves as we are in our reality, even if is at first a little hard to accept. If not, in the end, we are the only losers.
References
Course pack. (2015). Short Fiction. The necklace, 102-106. Champlain College Lennoxville