The Necklace

John Lautner
Mrs. Cecchini
English 9
Things Might Not be what you Expect
How far would you go to be some one your not? In “The Necklace” author Guy De Maupassant describes the story of a young woman who no matter how much she has, she wants more. Mathilde is a beautiful woman but is only middle class. She wants nothing more than to be rich and have a big home. She borrows a necklace from a friend to go to a ball and she looses the necklace. She works for ten years to pay off the necklace and when she goes back to repay the woman, she is told the necklace is a fake. Through the use of narrative point of view, irony, and characterization, Maupassant communicates to the message that we should appreciate what we have and not focus on what we do not have.
One-way Maupassant voices his message we should appreciate what we have is through irony. Furthermore, He says, “Oh my poor, poor Mathilde! Mine was false. It was worth five hundred francs at the most!’ (615). This is referring to when Madame Forestier is telling Mathilde that the necklace she worked for 10 years to pay off was fake and not worth anything remotely close to how much she had paid for a real necklace. Its ironic that when Mathilde was so beautiful yet poor she wasn’t happy and when she was old and worn out but rich she was still not happy. Maupassant is using irony to tell us not to want more no matter what but to be happy and make the best of what situation your in. Don’t be always unhappy like Mathilde but be happy and use good you have.
Maupassant expresses his message we should appreciate what we have is through narrative point of view. The story is told in 3rd person omniscient. In the beginning Maupassant tells you Mathilde thoughts on how she wants to be rich and how she is uncomfortable with the middle class life style. Actually, Maupassant tells us, “She dreamt of think-carpeted reception rooms with Oriental hangings, lighted by tall, bronze torches, and with two huge footmen in knee breeches, made drowsy by the heat from the stove, asleep in the wide armchairs.” (609). Maupassant tells the reader exactly what Mathilde wants, but also explains how she was born into a petty officials family. She was forced to marry a minor civil servant and live a simple dull life style. By having a 3rd person omniscient point of view it allows Maupassant to express his message and tell us not to take things for granted beause things aren’t allways how they appear.

Maupassant communicates his message we should appreciate what we have is through characterization. He creates a character named Mathilde who is most unhappy with her middle class life style. In fact, Maupassant tells us, “She suffered constantly, feeling that all the attributes of a gracious life, every luxury, should rightly have been hers.” (609). Mathilde really thinks that she deserves every thing with out lifting a finger. She always wants what ever she wants and if she doesn’t get it then she is up set and fells cheated. She always wants more no matter how hard her husband works got get her every thing he can. In the story, Mathilde borrows a beautiful necklace from a friend. At the ball she looses the necklace and feels terrible. She works for 10 years to re pay her friend and the necklace ends up being a fake. If Mathilde had just kept he natural beauty and not had to have a expensive piece of jewelry, then she wouldn’t have had to work and have to repay her friend. Now Mathilde not only wasted away the last ten years of her life, but she also lost her beauty. Even though, her beauty isn’t enough for Mathilde and that is one-way Maupassant uses characterization to express his message that you should appreciate what you have and not focus on what you do not. In conclusion there are many ways to show that we should be happy with what we have and not lull on what we don’t not, but characterization, irony, and narrative point are the three main ideas. Just as Mathilde suffered, people in our world to day suffer from similar things. Some people think it is their birthright to have every thing they ever dreamed of and fell cheated if they get anything less. Mathilde learns a message that would benefit any one who thinks like Mathilde. We can learn from Mathilde that we do not need every thing to be happy and that you can be happy with out every luxury in the world so that we do not make the same mistake as Mathilde and loose every thing and still have the best life possible.