Similarities Between The Necklace And The Gift Of The Magi

A person might ask the question “what are your values in life?” to two different fictional characters. Madame Loisel from Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” and Della from O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” are completely different characters when it comes to values in life. Madame Loisel fantasizes about a life of luxury and wealth, while Della prefers her life with her husband.

In “The Necklace”, character Madame Loisel views her life as shameful and boring. She believes that she should have been born into a family with value and wealth. When it comes to her values, Madame Loisel does not view them as a good thing. Instead, she views them as one would view the value of one’s piece of clothing. She does not care for her value,

Madame Loisel’s thoughts are only centered on the possibility of living a luxury life and how she should have been born into it. She only believes she will gain true happiness from wealth. Her thoughts clearly show her selfish side. In the beginning of the story, the author states that, “she was one of those pretty and charming girls, born, as if by an accident of fate, into a family of clerks. She grieved incessantly, feeling that she has been born for all the little niceties and luxuries of living.” This shows that Madame Loisel feels bad for herself and thinks she deserves better. Further on in the story, her husband brings home an envelope. She opens it up, reads it over, and starts crying. She starts crying because she does not want to look like a peasant, therefore, saying that she does not have a dress. Her husband then gives her four hundred francs. That money was meant to be for him. Madame Loisel does not thank him in any way, which shows that she is greedy, self-centered and inconsiderate. Later, at the party, she ignores her husband completely, acting as if he embarrasses her. Unlike Madame Loisel, Della does not ignore and disrespect her husband, but instead, engulfs him in her love. In the “Gift of the Magi” Della spends time trying to figure out the perfect gift for her husband, and does everything to try and get that gift. In the end, Della’s gift gives no use for Jim, and Jim’s

Madame Loisel treats her husband poorly and does not care of what he thinks and how he feels. While she is the star in her fantasies, her husband does not have a role. In the story, he tries his best to let Madame Loisel have whatever she wants, but in the end, she just keeps wanting more. To her, Monsieur Loisel should only provide the money and nothing else. She also shows no appreciation for her husband and what he does for her. Della, on the other hand, appreciates everything her husband Jim does for her; even the small things. For Della, her husband is her happiness, and she is willing to sacrifice anything to make him