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Research Essay Thesis Statement

Introduction

“The Necklace” by “Guy de Maupassant”, is one of the famous stories of the all-time in the English literature. Guy was a French writer, who wrote this short story in the 19th century. In this story, it would be seen that Monsieur Loisel invites Mathilde in a formal party, arranged by the Ministry of Education. Mathilde got really enthusiastic for this party she found this invitation as a great opportunity. She got a chance to mingle with the high society. In the beginning, she was very happy but suddenly she realized that she does not have any gown that would make her acceptable for the high-born people present in that party. After insisting a lot she got money for her dress from her husband but she does not have any money for jewelry so she decided to borrow a necklace from one of her high-class friend, Madame Forestier. After attending the party she in her astonishment discovered that she had lost the diamond necklace that she borrowed from her friend. This was the thing that brought a storm in their life and they had to sell everything they had for getting the same diamond necklace for her friend that she could return her. They struggled hard for returning the money with which they bought a new necklace for Mathilde’s friend. “The Necklace” by “Guy de Maupassant”, is a vivid depiction of "individualized identity" that prefer apparent portrayal accompanied by a blind chase of materialistic desires.

Discussion

It is the story that highlights errors made by humans ironically; it becomes quite clear that errors of human combined with unwanted chances make the life of an individual a tragedy. By taking an in-depth look at this story it could be seen that Mathilde, a beautiful, young and arrogant wife was attracted towards the shallow and fake world. Throughout the story, it could be observed that she had dreams of getting rich so that like other rich people she could also show off her precious things but these dreams never come true. She was unable to enjoy all the comforts of life, being the wife of a clerk but as her husband knows that she was extremely desirous of wealth and comforts he tried his best to provide her what he could.

She was bored from the household chores so one day her husband brought an invitation to a party that was a minister's residence. First, she refused to go to the party as she claimed that she does not have any nice dress for the party, but her husband got a nice gown from his savings. Next, she insisted for the jewelry which her husband could not afford and allow her to borrow the diamond necklace which brought a twist in the story after she borrowed a necklace for her friend but the poor Mathilde remained unaware of the fact that the necklace was not of the diamond. She went to the party with her husband, enjoyed it but after coming the home she realized that she had lost the diamond necklace that she borrowed for the party from her friend. She searched for that necklace all over but when she could not find that necklace, they decided not to tell her friend that they had lost that expensive necklace. They borrowed money for buying a new necklace that they would give to her friend, but it took ten years. They struggled for ten years and they spent those years in pain, misery, and drudgery. Mathilde because of her painful and stressful life lost all her beauty. It won’t be wrong to say that she lost her real complexion just for that necklace and paid the money that they borrowed. After long years she happened to meet that friend again from whom she borrowed that necklace but the destiny mocked at her when her friend told her that the necklace that was lost was artificial. This was one of the most horrifying events of her life.

Character

There are three characters in this short story that are listed below:

Mathilde Loisel

There are various perspectives that are being presented by various researchers but by taking a look at the character of Mathilde it could be said that she is the protagonist. By taking an in-depth look at her character one would come to know that she was an ambitious person who wanted to be in the company of high society. From the story, it could be witnessed that she wanted to be one like them by keeping a close interaction with high class. She was much inspired by fake satisfaction of elite class life. She was desirous of wealth and wanted to enjoy all the comfort of life. She was a kind of lady for whom apparent beauty was more than inner satisfaction. She used to fantasize as she was the wife of a clerk and could not get all the comforts of life still she wanted to get in touch with the elite class for having a flavor (Lucy,et,al,2019). There could be seen many flaws in her character. She was a materialistic lady. She was a beautiful woman but still, she considers that materialistic things are necessary for making one prettier. She was the admirer of external and apparent beaut, but her admiration for the apparent and fake things taught her a lesson for life as her one-night radiance they suffered for the rest of their life.

Monsieur Loisel

He was Mathilde‘s husband and a clerk by profession. He was a happy and contented person who used to enjoy all the small happiness that he was blessed with. He was a loving and caring husband who sacrificed all his comforts just to keep her wife happy and used to do his best for fulfilling the needs of Mathilde (Tibbetts,et,al,2018). The nobility of Monsieur's character was evident when he sacrificed his future for paying a debt of her husband. Monsieur has been presented as the ideal husband who did not say a word to her wife who risks their future and all the comforts that they were about to have in the near future.

Madame Forestier

She was the friend of Mathilde and has been presented as a wealthy friend who gave her necklace to her friend so that she could look good in that party. The act of lending her necklace showed that she was a kind-hearted person (Horne,et,al,2019). She was horrified when she came to know that Mathilde suffered for ten years and had lost her beauty just because of that artificial necklace that she did not know was not real but artificial.

Language

Language is one of the most fascinating things that a literary text holds. In this short story also language is of great importance. By taking a look and analyzing the language of this story, it won’t be wrong to say that the writer has used quite a simple language that could be easily understood by the general readers easily. The language that has been used is quite comprehensive, understandable and simple. In some of the lines, it could be seen that very sophisticated words have been used. At some point, special language has been used for Mathilde. Use of special language indicates towards the pretentiousness as she wanted to get much more than what she already had and it showed her over-ambitiousness. In this story, the writer has used symbolism, hyperbole, and personification.

Setting

Taking a look at this short story it could be seen that it was set in the 1800s, in Paris. The setting of the story indicates that there is a small family who is living in a financial crisis. From the setting, it is palpable that the family belongs to middle class (De Maupassant,et,al,2018). Husband is happy with what they are having for their life but the lady is not happy and is having a desire to have much more than what they have. The setting is appealing to the audience and helps them in understanding the type of life that the characters of the story were living.

Imagery

In this short story, it could be seen that the writer has used one of the most famous literary devices all times, that is imagery. Imagery is used by the poets and writers for creating mental images in the mind of the readers so that they could relate with things more easily. The setting of the story shows that the wife was a housewife though she was living in a small house she was having dreams of a more glamorous and glorious life than she was living in that house. For knowing this story in a better way it is important to know and examine the minute details of the home, real and the imaginary things that have been presented in this short story. The way the writer has described Mathilde after the ten years of hard struggle creates a strong image of her in the minds of the readers.

Conclusion

It is one of the simplest and meaningful short stories of all time. In this story, it cloud be seen that there are many lessons for the readers. Many themes have been explored by the writer about the harsh realities of life. The protagonist of the story shows that there are very few people satisfied with what they are blessed with. From this story, some of the greatest tragedies of life could be seen that taught us a lesson for life. In simple words, it could be said that the power struggle and class difference have been shown in this story.

Work Cited:

De Maupassant, Guy. Guy de Maupassant Stories (Classic Books on CD Collection)[UNABRIDGED](Classic Books on Cd Collection). Flip, 2018.

Horne, Philip. "Strings of Pearls: James, Maupassant, and “Paste”." Literary Imagination (2019).

Lucy, Martha. "and the Mirror Image." A Companion to Nineteenth‐Century Art (2019): 263.

Tibbetts, John C., et al. "Ballantyne, Andrew.“Knight, Haydon, and the Elgin Marbles.” Apollo 128 (1988): 155–." The Deceivers: Art Forgery and Identity in the Nineteenth Century38 (2018): 217.