The Necklace

Analyzing Guy de Maupassant’s Story

Guy de Maupassant’s full name is Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant. He is a short story writer, novelist, journalist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. One of his short stories is The Necklace. In any literary work it is necessary to have characters, whether it is major or minor, round or flat. Character development gives the reader insight of what they are reading. Looking at Guy de Maupassant’s piece The Necklace, characters are well portrayed by Guy de Maupassant thus giving the reader the opportunity to determine if they are round or flat characters.
Though she is ‘‘pretty and charming,’’ she and her husband, a clerk in the Ministry of Education, are not well off financially. She has always dreamed of a life of leisure, with attentive servants and a large home. However her lifestyle is decidedly more modest. Ashamed of her social standing, she no longer visits Madame Forestier, an old school friend who has become rich. Mrs. Forestier lend Mathilde the necklace for the Ministry of Education. Mrs. Loisel lost the necklace at the end of the party. After that she and her husband Mr. Loisel had to buy a necklace and work for ten years to finish paying the debt. The Necklace begins with a description of Mathilde Loisel. Mathilde Loisel is a round character whose ego is mainly revealed in her bitterness of her surroundings. Mathilde gradually becomes depressed at her ordinary and ugly life spent with her husband while dreaming of delicacies and luxuries. She looks down when her husband is satisfied eating a simple stew of beef and vegetables for dinner. On the other hand, she goes trough sadness because she is not enjoying he lifestyle. Maupassant describes her as “suffering constantly, feeling herself destined for all delicacies and luxuries” (187). Many of the things she had imagined often were not considered by other women of her social rank. Maupassant says that she feels “tortured and filled her with despair.” (187). Feeling as though she had once deserved to marry better, but she has to married with a minor clerk in the Ministry of Education. She is always wishing on having things that she cannot have. Because she is not enjoying her life style she is always dreaming drawing rooms hung with antique skills, perfumed rooms, created just for little parties of intimate friends, who because of their achievements and fame would make her the envy of all other women. (187). However, she has none of these. In fact, she has no decent dresses, no jewels, nothing. (188). This is an interesting element of her character and her opportunity to enjoy that lifestyle would eventually arrive. When her husband invites her to a important dinner party, ironically, Mathilde rejects the offer for not have a nice dress. Mathilde selfish nature shows in the way she treats her husband. She treats him as a slave who only exists to be manipulated by her and to be accused for all the unfortunate events that has gone bad for her. After the party she lost the necklace. Thank the necklace Mathilde has to become a better person trough the story because she learned that not all in life is appearance.
Maupassant describes Mathilde as a major character or round character. Mathilde has a good profile for a round character as she changes throughout the story as the years pass by. Not only does her appearance change because of all the heavy labor, but her personality also changes as she learns her lesson from her mistake; although Mathilde still has a little bit of a selfish attitude, which is shown in the end of the story when she meets Mrs. Forrestier.
In the other hand, her husband Mr. Loisel which is also a main character that means that he is also a round character. Maupasant does not describe him. But in the way he talks we can see very clearly that he is much the opposite of his wife. Mr. Loisel is the loving husband of Mathilde Loisel. He never achieves an ideal status or accumulates any fortune, but is very respectable man. Mr. Loisel’s humble, hardworking and loyal personality show that his type of character should be more appreciated in this world.
Humility is apparent in Mr. Loisel by his simple desires. An example of Mr. Loisel’s simplicity is most shown when he sists down to dinner and exclaims, “Ah, a good homemade beef stew! There’s nothing better”. (187). Another example of Mr. Loisel’s humility is at the ball. Instead of partying all night and pushing the limit of capabilities like his wike, he accepts that his night of fun was over. It was also portrayed throughout the story as if Mr. Loisel did not have any expensive items. However, it says that he has a sum of money saved in the bank. This could be seen as Mr. Loisel being aware of the difference between want and future need. Mr. Loisel’s simplicity is very evident in this story.
Mrs. Forrestier is a flat character because she is a minor character. She does not appear a lot in the story. Mrs. Forrestier is wealthy. That is basically all you need to know. She is the rich friend. She is the kind of person that wears fabulous only for appearance. It is also Mrs. Forrestier who reveals at the end of the story that her necklace was false. That is Mrs. Forrestier’s role in this story. Apparently Mathilde and Mrs. Forrestier have known each other for a while, since Mathilde lost the necklace. Mathilde feels very unhappy when visit Mrs. Forrestier and see the life of luxery that she is not living and she is wishing to have.
Maupassant shows in the short story that Mr. and Mrs. Loisel are round characters because they are the major characters in the story because it is very clear that Mr. and Mrs. Loisel have a development in the story, and Mrs. Forrestier is a minor character because she does not appear a lot in the story and she does not have a development in the story. Mathilde learned a valuable lesson from her experience. People have to be happy with who they are and what they have.

Words Cited

Guy de Maupassant. “The Necklace”. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed.
Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. New York: Person Longman,
2012.293-95. Print.

Cited: Guy de Maupassant. “The Necklace”. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. New York: Person Longman, 2012.293-95. Print.