Monsieur Loisel Antithesis Of His Wife

The way that Monsieur Loisel is presented as an antithesis of his wife, Madame Loisel, suggests that women are manipulative and greedy, increasing the extent to which misogyny is presented through the character of Madame Loisel. Monsieur Loisel is described to be a good husband, willingly giving up the four hundred francs - a substantial amount - that he had been “setting aside [...] to buy a gun and finance hunting trips [...]” in order for Madame Loisel to buy a dress for the ball. This willingness to give up his own pleasure in order for his wife to be happy emphasises his benevolent disposition, evoking a sense of sympathy in the reader. After witnessing his wife’s reaction to the invitation to the ball Monsieur Loisel is described to be

This highlights his wife’s contrasting character: she is not easily pleased (evidenced by the fact that she demands a new dress and jewelry just to be able to go to the ball) and is shown to be manipulative and cunning as she convinces her husband to give her money to buy a new dress, “working out her sums” and “wondering how much she could decently ask for without drawing an immediate refusal [...]”. By highlighting Monsieur Loisel’s good qualities, Madame Loisel’s faults are brought into sharper clarity, consequently increasing the reader’s sense of antagonism towards Madame Loisel and increasing the misogyny present within the narrative. In addition, after handing his wife an invitation to the ball, Monsieur Loisel is described to be “disconcerted and dismayed by the sight of his wife who had begun to cry”. The phrase ‘began to cry’ is suggestive of emotional manipulation, associating the reader with the stereotype that women use emotions and tears in order manipulate

The hackney cabs are described to only emerge in the streets “after dusk, as if ashamed to parade their poverty in the full light of day”. Madame Loisel is reluctant to attend the ball without jewelry, stating that “[she would] look like a church mouse” if she went. This reluctance to go to the ball without jewelry suggests that Madame Loisel is ashamed by the fact that she is of a lower social standing than she would like to be, and the fact that she borrows a necklace from her friend in order to seem richer emphasises this. From this, we can draw a parallel between Madame Loisel and the hackney cabs, as they are described to be “ashamed to parade their poverty in the light of day”, much like how Madame Loisel is ashamed to attend the ball without looking like she belongs to the wealthy class. The parallel between the hackney cabs and Madame Loisel presents a sense of misogyny-it suggests that Madame Loisel-and therefore women-all regard appearances, wealth and social standing as their most important assets, and are always looking for ways to increase them. This parallel also suggests that women are not interested in important affairs - instead it implies that women are greedy, and are always seeking to elevate their status, wealth and