Madam Loisel Research Paper

Cydnie Hardy
Mrs. Bushnell
English 1 Honors
3 December 2011
Della vs. Madam Loisel Have you ever wondered about the reasoning’s people have for doing what they do, or acting how they act? Well, Della and Madam Loisel both have reasons for their actions, but their reasons are dramatically different from each other’s. While Della is very unselfish, grateful, and open minded, Madam Loisel on the other hand is selfish, ungrateful, and closed minded Della is a very unselfish and loving woman. She sacrificed her beautiful long hair, which she treasured very near and dear to her heart, to get her husband a nice gift for Christmas. Unlike Madam Loisel who made her husband buy her something very expensive for her own greedy and self centered reasons. Madam Loisel doesn’t care about anyone else but herself, where as Della would go to the ends of the Earth to make her husband happy because of how much she loves him.
Della doesn’t really care about all the glitz and glamour of the world because she is grateful for the life she has now.
She sees and has realized that having someone you love, love you back unconditionally is much more rewarding than having a diamond necklace or a big, over the top, fancy dress while Madam Loisel is sitting on her window seat sulking and complaining about all the things she doesn’t have. Nothing is ever good enough for her and she just wants more and more. She doesn’t seem to appreciate any of the many things her husband does for her, and how much he truly loves her. She doesn’t take the time and look at the things she has to be grateful for in her life, making her so much more ungrateful than
Della. Lastly, Della tries her hardest to keep an open mind about everything and tries to look at the bright side of ever situation. Even though she and her husband are in a tight money situation and are very poor, she doesn’t let that affect her happiness and tries not to let her financial problems bring her down. However, Madam Loisel is completely opposite from Della when it comes to keeping an open mind. Madam Loisel always seems to think, “oh poor, pitiful, me, I have nothing.” She is closed minded about everything. For example, when her husband suggested putting flowers in her hair, she told him that it just wouldn’t work and that she has to have something better. She never tried to make the best of anything and always tried to get things that were almost near impossible to get. Although Della and Madam Loisel are both married and in a tough money situation, Della still tries to be optimistic about her life and is still unbelievably loving and unselfish toward her husband. Madam Loisel is constantly finding a negative in everything, and even the thought of giving to others would never cross her mind, even though other are always so giving to her. Life shouldn’t be all about what you have, or how you look, or your “social status”. It should be about being grateful and appreciative of what you do have instead of constantly thinking about what you don’t have. You should love people with all your heart that would do anything for you, and give to others more than you take.