Social Class In 19th Century Essay

In life, one can look about on all the cultures of the world and see them for what they really are on a deeper level than just a government, community, and or town. Each and every culture has some sort of social ranking that goes from high class to poverty. The hierarchy of most cultures sets examples of materialistic possessions that make those without the money to afford such pleasantries to look upon their lives with regret and pain because of the examples set by upper class citizens and their lack of appreciation for their possessions. In nineteenth century France, one’s social class meant a lot to one’s worth as an individual. In many cases, high class women otherwise known as the aristocrats were portrayed as elegant, beautiful, calm, and most importantly with high-fashion and very expensive jewelry on.
Also there was on the next level down was the bourgeoisie, which was known as the upper part of middle class.
Next, going down the latter known as social classes was the lower middle class; last came the prostitutes servants, and beggars. These social rankings can only further prove that materialistic possessions often played a large role in one’s social ranking and everyday lifestyle. The social ranking in nineteenth century France was based on materialistic possessions, beauty, and most of all money. During this time frame, there was a fine line of whom can associate with who because if an important person were to be spotted with a lower class that person’s status could be downgraded and that person could lose everything; this portrays how society can control people’s lives, how they live them, and who they share it with. Although there are a multitude of ideas presented in Guy De Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” the most significant idea is that Madame Loisel is victimized and her life ruined because of the nineteenth century France
society.
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Madame Loisel is a victim of society and has been from the start every since she was born into a family of artisans. Throughout her life she grew to love jewels and high-quality clothes, items, and a wealthy lifestyle. For instance, in the story it states ” she had no clothes, no jewels, nothing. And these were the only things she loved; she felt that she was made for them” (De Maupassant 1). This quote from the short story “The Necklace” helps show that the effects of society has corrupted her personal view on materialistic possessions, which means she feels she is of lesser value of a human without those items. Madam Loisel’s life was one full of sorrow and desire for a grouping of reasons. Madame Loisel’s ideology has put a negative tone over her life that slowly drained her happiness away like the waning love between two senior citizens. For example, she does not work because her ideology has her mind set that a woman of high class should not have to work, so not working is the only thing she has relatively close to the life of someone such as Madam Foiesher who lives wealthy lifestyle otherwise known as an aristocrat. Madame Loisel not working forces her husband to bring home all the money and pay for the costs of living for himself and his wife Madame Loisel. He constantly tries to make her happy and she takes all of his attempts at pleasing her for granted; proving that her longing for a higher social ranking steers her life. Madame Loisel does not appreciate all the hard work her husband puts into trying to please her and takes her lifestyle for granted. In nineteenth century France, it was the job of the husband to provide for his wife; this makes Madame Loisel believe she should not have to work. When her husband shows her the invitation to the dance, it says in the story that she responds by throwing the invitation across the table and saying in disgust “What do you want me to do with this?” (De Maupassant 2). She doesn’t appreciate the invitation instead; she lets her desire for a better lifestyle take control. Letting her desire lead her life caused her to feel that she has to buy new clothing to meet society’s standards on how women should dress for an event. Madame Loisel will not wear the clothes she goes to the theatre in and cries when he offers up that idea. So he spent the 400 Francs that he had been saving up for a while on a dress for her. Although she now had her dress it was still not enough, consequently; she let her love for the finer things in life control her desire.
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Madame Loisel believes she needs jewels to look proper at the dance, which is yet another cause from the mental oppression of society. Importantly, Madame Loisel feels this way because the high-class women all wear jewels to events regularly. In nineteenth century France, many women were illustrated as having jewels elegant dresses, and to be at operas or concerts in fashionable attire. Also, most entertainment for women was provided by operas and concerts, but since Madame Loisel could not afford these her feeling of self worth lowered with every waking moment. Madame Loisel Borrowed a diamond necklace that she felt completed her look of elegance for the dance; this necklace caused her to feel a false sense of happiness like the euphoric feel of illegal narcotics and when she went to the dance the experience was magnificent because all eyes were on her. The guests at the party viewed her as the most beautiful, elegant, and elite woman at the party which is because Madame Loisel put on a facade to get the approval of the people at the party who in an essence are just products of society. The necklace was lost and Madame Loisel life changed drastically afterwards. She bought a new one to replace the old one, which put her husband and her into debt deeply. She then dropped from her status as lower middle class to lower working class, which is quite the extreme drop of status. Madame was forced to work off the debt and she was slowly ruined over the ten years it took to repay the debts of the replacement necklace. The way society ruined her life is evident because she lost her beauty, elegance, and the somewhat nobility she had to ten long years on back breaking work. An example from the story “The Necklace” that illustrates the idea that Madame Loisel lost her everything including her beauty to the long years of work due to her debt is “ Her hair was badly done, her skirts awry her hands were red. She spoke in a shrill voice”(De Maupassant 6). One can say that she was trapped into this fate from the start for many reasons. For instance, her desire to have fine goods, high quality items, and to be of the highest of social classes drove her to the point were she lost something that seemed to have great materialistic value. She didn’t own up to losing the necklace because she though society would view her as a thief and will throw her into the lowest of social classes; if she had told Madame Foiesher that she had lost it after she could not find it she would have found out that it was a fake and was worth only 500 Francs. In the long run, Society has influenced her to be somebody she wasn’t; a good fake just as the necklace she lost was a good fake. Lastly, Madame Loisel was lost in the web of society that makes not only her to pretended to be something she’s not just like Cinderella, but the facade she put on caused her lose everything and to not have a happy ending like Cinderella.
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In the short story “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant there was a large amount of ideas that were important to the story such as greed, hegemony, gender roles, and materialistic possessions. The most important idea in the story is that Madame Loisel was a victim of society and that her life was left in ruins because society and its standards. Social status had a big role in the story “The Necklace” for a large quantity of reasons. For example, it was the base of the story; it was the reason Madame Loisel had to put on the facade she did. Also, It was the reason she lost everything and had to work hard for ten years. Here status changed from middle class to lower working class which in the end might as well been drop dead poor. Social status is important in Literature because it provides an idea of hegemony, which means “who has the economic control” (class notes). The idea of social class is important to history just as much as literature if not more. First of all, social class has started many conflicts over the years. Another instance, countries have been changed and reformed because a social class oppresses another one and the oppressed rise together and overthrow a social class; this has been the case in many countries all over the world. Social statuses can make, protect, or destroy one’s life; the outcome that is reached is decided by the choices and ideology of the individual. If an individual lets desire and greed take the lead of their life they will too be destroyed by social class and swallowed into the empty void we call society.