ipl-logo

The Necklace Theme Analysis

833 Words4 Pages

There are many contributing factors to the theme of “The Necklace”, a short story written by Guy de Maupassant. Three of these factors are characterization, plot, and motif. “The Necklace” takes place in France and is about a woman named Madame Loisel. She constantly dreams about being rich and spends most of her time sulking about the amazing life that she doesn’t have. When her husband gives her an invitation to a very fancy ball, Mme. Loisel borrows a diamond necklace from her friend, Mme. Forestier because she finds “‘...nothing more humiliating than to look poor among a lot of rich women.’” (Maupassant 228). However, she loses the piece of jewelry and has to spend the next ten years of her life trying to pay for the necklace she bought to replace it. From her experience, Mme. Loisel begins to realize that being satisfied with one's life conclusively has better outcomes than being greedy. This creates the theme that one should be content with who they are and what they have. This theme is supported by characterization, …show more content…

The protagonist, Mme. Loisel constantly covets for a more extravagant, glamorous life and is never satisfied with the things that she already has. Conclusively, her actions and personality lead to both her and her husband to spend ten years working themselves to death over a necklace that Mme. Loisel had lost. Mme. Loisel had borrowed the necklace because she wanted to appear wealthy among the rich people who were the attending the ball she was invited to. During those ten years, Mme. Loisel begins to realize that she would’ve been much happier in life if she had simply been content with who she is and what she already has. This theme relates to real world and contemporary issues because people who constantly wish for things that they do not have, tend to be more unhappy than those who are gratified with what they already

Show More
Related
1361 Words | 6 Pages

There are many similarities and differences between the stories “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst; however, “The Scarlet Ibis “is the story that is entitled to be called “great.” A great story is one that has a structure plot-conflict that the reader can easily follow and a character that the individuals can relate to. Elements of literature, such as settings can convey the emotions the reader may feel by describing the environment from the dead of autumn to the shabbiness of an apartment. In addition, point of view gives individuals a chance to walk in the characters shoes to see and experience how they feel. In “The Scarlet Ibis” and “The Necklace,” structure plot, elements of literature, and point

Read More
458 Words | 2 Pages

In the poem “The Changeling” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, I read it as she’s trying to get her father’s attention, she is acting to be someone else because she changes into her brother’s clothes, as a costume, until it’s dinner time and her mother asks her to take those clothes off, it’s then where everything is back to reality. In the poem “The Birthplace” by Cofer, she talks about her hometown and how it lacks features on the hills which will stop her from going places, she doesn’t go to churches that are full of the people who regret their wrongs, the roads just lead to other roads, and how towns are the same to other towns. In the poem “On the Island I Have Seen” by Cofer she talks about men who work hard in the sun while old men play dominoes in the shade, women in black dresses asking

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

The 1975 Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard discovered a life changing theory while trying to evade the frenzied human world. The theory that introduces a life is lesson everyone needs to live a full and satisfying life. By employing emotional charged verbiage and a juxtaposing of humans versus nature in Living Like a Weasel, Dillard theorizes that life should be lived with the same determination and persistence of a weasel. When proposing a very forward theory, Dillard must use some bold choices to prove her ideals of life. “Grasp”and “seize” are desperate words used in situations where the author needed to emotionally move the audience (Dillard 164-167).

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

Many people feel that they need a large house, an expensive car, and brand-name clothes to feel satisfied. Ray Bradbury’s story The Veldt introduces the concept that it is not always beneficial for a person to value their possessions so greatly; in fact, your prized possessions can harm you. In his story, Bradbury explores this idea by crafting a scenario where an extremely high-tech house creates cracks and instability within a family unit. Through the use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery Bradbury conveys the idea that grave consequences come from valuing material possessions over family.

Read More
478 Words | 2 Pages

Looking back through history, one can find faults with virtually every culture. Whether it’s the ancient cultures that practiced human sacrifice, or Nazi Germany that tried to exterminate the Jewish people, we can always look back and find something that was amiss. What we often fail to realize, however, is that the people living in those societies weren’t aware of their wrongdoings any more than we are. “The Semplica Girl Diaries”, a short story by George Saunders, illustrates how every culture is oblivious to its own faults, and Saunders is trying to show Americans their own fault, namely, how our fondness of materialism changes the way we look at people.

Read More
714 Words | 3 Pages

Three examples of greed and its effects are shown in the stories of “The Necklace”, “Civil Peace”, and “The Golden Touch”. The short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant tells the story of a woman, named Mathilde, who borrows a very expensive necklace, ends up losing it, and spends 10 years of her life repaying the debt it took to buy a new one, only to find out the original was fake and not expensive at all. This alone states the extent at which we will go to replace materialistic items. The lady had been part of the middle class, living comfortably, and even had a maid and a cook.

Read More
1525 Words | 7 Pages

"Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body" (George Carlin). Comedian, social critic, and author George Carlin's words may seem laughable, but his underlying point rings true for our society today: fulfillment does not lie in material possessions. This idea of materialism appears in several pieces of literature, including Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 features a 30-year-old "firefighter" named Guy Montag, who lives in a futuristic society revolving around technology such as wall-sized TV's and "seashell" radios. Though conscious of his luxurious lifestyle, and how fortunate he must be, he comes to the conclusion that constant self-indulgence leads

Read More
3231 Words | 13 Pages

In the short story “The Necklace” Madame Loisel was a rich women who thought she was poor. She valued having a nice appearance and looking elegant. Madame Loisel borrowed a necklace that she thought was gorgeous, she then lost the necklace but didn’t want to tell the lady she lost it so she went to look for

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

Views about wealth can be different from every people. Some believes that wealth can solve every problem and provide happiness and others believe that wealth is not really the most important thing in the world. It just depends on what the person wants from being wealthy or how they want to use it in their lives. Two authors, Guy de Maupassant the author of “The Necklace”, and Chinua Achebe the author of “Civil Peace”, wrote short stories where views on materialism are portrayed by characters in similar and in different ways. Madame Loisel from “The Necklace” is a middle class woman who always dreams of becoming rich but ended being poor because of valuing the necklace more than anything to her that caused her happiness at first but years of suffering after .

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

Likewise, de Maupassant’s “The Jewels” introduces us to Madame Lantin, who was married off to Monsieur Lantin to improve her life. Her seemingly virtuous and innocent appearance became the main

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

Human nature causes people to desire more than what one already has. However, after desiring material items, people realize the foolishness in their greed. In “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Mathilde Loisel, who lives in France during the 1880s, attempts to transform her ordinary life into one of luxury. She attends a reception with her friend Madame Forestier's diamond necklace, but after losing it, she works to buy a new necklace, only to later discover the necklace she lost is fake. Through this experience, Mathilde learns to be content with what she has, and as a result, she realizes the flaws in her character.

Read More
1367 Words | 6 Pages

M. Lantin turned to his late wife’s jewelry collection; he knew that it was fake jewelry but he was desperate and was in need of money. He took the jewelry to a jewelry store expecting to receive only a few francs but then he was told he was receiving thousands of francs. M. Lantin was in shock and could not believe that the entire time it was real jewelry and not fake; he became a very wealthy man and resigned from his job, eventually marrying another woman who made his wife miserable. M. Lantin’s first wife had a big impact on his life; however, his selfish actions lead to what he deserved ending up with a wife that made him miserable. M. Lantin’s first wife was a young beautiful woman who he fell deeply in love with, she was the ideal woman that any of the men would want in their life.

Read More
923 Words | 4 Pages

He also demonstrates through his characters a human touch. The characters that are victimized are viewed with understanding and sympathy. The story of ‘The Necklace’ is about a lady called Mrs. Loisel who was born into a family with very normal social status. She settled for a life of mediocracy by marrying a minor clerk in the ministry of education.

Read More
1107 Words | 5 Pages

The protagonist of ‘The Necklace’, Madame Loisel, live a rather steady, ordinary middle-class life in the beginning of the story. However, she views that she is intended for a luxurious life, and, therefore, does not cherish what she has. She takes a step forward to her desires, as she was invited to a ball where all the upper-class woman would be, yet she was unhappy with the fact that she does not even have a stone to put on.

Read More
1773 Words | 8 Pages

“The Diamond Necklace” by Maupassant teaches how this clash defines society’s interactions with each other. Understanding the desire of the proletariat class to overcome the oppression caused by those who have control over them, will give more understanding to the relationship between the Loisels. Through the characteristic flaws shown by Matilda, Marxist theory is upheld. With Marx’s idea of how Capitalism works, class conflict, manipulation, and repression are exemplified through the characteristic conflicts that build and destroy the husband and wife’s relationship within the story, while helping them become one with each

Read More

More about The Necklace Theme Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document