The Necklace Essay

The Necklace Essay
In The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant reveals imagery very well throughout the poem. Mrs. Loisel
feels her life is just not enough. She is constantly complaining, asking for more or daydreaming of
what she could have. The Madame is very discontent with everything in her day–to–day life and
cannot seem to find the good in it. This piece of literature contains vivid images to reveal the
character of Madame Mathilide Loisel.
The first example he uses is when Mrs. Mathilide is thinking about what her life could be if she had
more money. "She thought of the silent antechambers hung with Oriental tapestry, lit by tall bronze
candelabra's, and one of the great footmen in knee breeches who slept in the big armchairs, made
drowsy by the heavy warmth of the hot–air stove.", is a sentence where I could literally see the small
room leading out to the hallway (68). I am able to see the Asian artwork hanging on the candlelit
walls and the footmen falling asleep on one of the great loveseats. I am able to smell heat coming
from the...show more content...
I can see her dancing with drunkenness and desire. I can see her twirling all over the ballroom,
husband on her arm, within her own "cloud of happiness" (70). She is happy to be there in her new
ball gown and her borrowed "diamond necklace" from Madame Forestier (70). After all of Mrs.
Mathilide's drama about what to wear when her husband gave her the invitation, she had an amazing
night dancing away.
Lastly, the author does a great job displaying how Mrs. Loisel really is day to day. On page 72, he
describes her doing her wifely duties by washing the dishes and dirty clothes. He also talks about
how she "dressed like a woman of the people", going from market to market "bargaining, insulted,
defending her miserable money sou by sou" (72). From the Madame's attitude throughout the short
story, she is not comfortable dressing this way and acting like common
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The Necklace Essay
People who are driven by greed end up focusing on what they do not have instead of being grateful
for what they do have. This is relevant in the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
because Mathilde Loisel ends up losing everything she owns just because she lets greed drive her
decisions and get the best of her. When receiving an invitation to an extravagant ball, she declines
because she says she does not have anything nice to wear. In the beginning of the short story she
says, "There is nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich
women.(Maupassant)." The reader sees how she puts value in possessions and what others think of
her. After finding a dress and then borrowing a necklace that she thought...show more content...
When she is given the opportunity to dress in extravagant clothing and act like she is wealthy, she
found a "sense of triumph that is so sweet to a woman's heart" (3). Mathilda Loisel's change from
the exposition of the short story to the rising action is dramatic. The reader's first impression of the
character is that she is unhappy and resentful but at the party she comes off just the opposite. She
was joyful and "danced wildly, with passion, drunk on pleasure, forgetting everything in the triumph
of her beauty" (3). Mathilda Loisel's true character starts to reveal itself when the reader sees how
much value she puts in possessions. The necklace serves as a symbol for greed. When Mathilda
Loisel loses the necklace that she believed was worth forty thousand francs, she desperately
retraces her steps and gets her husband to help her find it as well. It ends up taking ten years to
pay off the debt. The ten years were hard on Mathilda Loisel and her husband, and Maupassant
told the reader that she "looked old now... with hair half combed, with skirts award, and reddened
hands" (6). However, even after the long ten years of manual labor all because she lost the
necklace, she "sat down near the window and though of that evening at the ball so long ago, when
she has been so beautiful and so admired" (6). The necklace symbolizes that when greed controls
emotions and decisions, it never leads to good results. Mathilda Loisel's life is worse at the end of
the short story than

Essay on The Necklace
"We want what we can't have": This renowned adage has been the cold reply of many parents to
their sobbing children as they walk out of the toy store. At the time, the heartbroken children
might not fully grasp the words of their parents, but as they grow up they will understand that the
well known adage holds true to its meaning. Almost everybody has experienced this feeling,
whether it is as young children or as wise adults. Examples of this noted proverb is evident both in
print and on screen. Now, since this is the case with most people around the world, it is not difficult
to see how this byword applies to Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace." Its protagonist,
Mathilde Loisel, longing for a lavish lifestyle rather than...show more content...
She even contemplated how much money she could squeeze out of her husband without
"drawing on herself an immediate refusal" (453, Maupassant, "The Necklace"). Her greed filled
every aspect of her life and she ended up paying for it at the end. Another character trait of
Mathilde is being unrealistic. Instead of focusing on the things in her own life and fulfilling her
own obligations, she just stargazes about how her life could have been better if she lived a life of
luxury. She constantly imagines a life filled with grandeur, of fine furnishings, and clothes. It is
observable that she is not satisfied with her husband, and often dreams what life would have been
like if she were married further up the social class. She yearns for a luxurious life that is
highlighted with candlelight dinners, large rooms, and servants willing to meet her every need.
Rather than trying to improve her lifestyle, she wastes her time imagining if she had taken a
different path in life. She even wanted to go to parties and have "talks at five o'clock with intimate
friends, with men famous and sought afterВ…" (452, Maupassant, "The Necklace"). Even as she
had supper with her husband, she couldn't help but dream about "dainty dinners [and] of shining
silverwareВ…" (452, Maupassant, "The Necklace").

The Necklace Essay
In the short story, "The Necklace," Guy de Maupassant tells the story of a woman who was born
in a family of clerks, Mathilde Loisel. She was a charming, pretty, married lady, whom I don't feel
sorry for. Mme. Loisel was living an adequate life with her husband, M. Loisel. She has a roof
over her head, clothes to cover her body, and a peasant to do her "humble housework."
Unfortunately, she felt as though her life was going to waste because she couldn't afford all the
finer things in life, unlike her friend Madame Forestier. M. Loisel was lucky enough to have
gotten two invitations to a party where only a selected few were given, but Mme. Loisel gives out
materialistic reasons as to why she can't go, such as not having the right dress. M. Loisel, being the
loving husband he is, decides to give her the 400 francs that he has been saving to buy a gun to go
shooting with his friends, so that she can buy an appropriate dress....show more content...
Loisel then exclaims that she cannot go to the party without some sort of jewelry. M. Loisel
suggests that she ask her friend, Mme. Forestier, if she could borrow a piece of jewelry. Mme.
Forestier hears of the problem she has and, without a question, tells her to pick any one she
desires. She decided on the most beautiful piece she has ever laid eyes on, embraced her friend,
and left. Mme. Loisel may have embraced her energetically, but she didn't even utter the words,
"Thank you." I believe Mme. Loisel took advantage of this situation in trying to possess fancier
items – items that she has always wanted. The Loisels attended the party and Mme. Loisel had the
time of her life, gaining recognition for her beauty. By the time they arrived at home, she noticed she
had lost Mme. Forestier's necklace. At that moment, it would have been a better idea to tell Mme.
Forestier that she had lost her necklace, rather than replacing it without telling her. In hopes of

Essay on The Necklace
Ten years of suffering is the cost of having pleasure for only one night! In "The Necklace," by Guy
de Maupassant presents Mathilde Loisel, an attractive, charming but vacuous and selfish middle
class lady transforms to selfness, poor, satisfied and hard–working lady. Even though, Mathidle owns
a comfortable home and married to a faithful and kind husband, Monsieur Loisel, who seeks her
happiness and satisfaction; she was ungrateful to the things that she had been given, because her
greed and desire of wealth had captured her thoughts and blurred the real meaning of happiness in
her perspective. Mathidle spends most of her time surfing in her day dreams of being wealthy and
suffering from accepting the reality, because her imagination was...show more content...
Guy de Maupassant had suggested clearly through the line of the story the difference between
greed and dreams. Dreaming is pursuing and chasing a goal with passion, hopes, and huge
efforts; while greed is a desire to acquire more than what one needs with a no effort. Mathilde
could bring her dreams to reality by finding a job instead of deciding to stay home day dreaming
of her thoughts. As the author had illustrated in many parts of the story Mathidle was never
satisfied with her assets for example, when her husband offered her all of his saving to buy her a
dress she asked for jewelries and when she had the chance to borrow some. She did not get
contended with Madame Forestier's jewelries, but she kept asking her to show her more until she
noticed the most wonderful necklace of Madame Forestier's jewelries. After losing the necklace,
Mathidle social class was lower, but she seemed happier. In the story, the necklace had symbolized
more than just jewelry or decoration. The necklace was a symbol of the dominant features of
Mathidle's personality such as selfishness, arrogance, superficial, and imitation. Mathidle always
considered her happiness above her husband's happiness. For example she spent the money that her
husband had been saving to buy a gun over a dress to attend the party. Mathile's arrogance and
superficiality had ruined her happiness; she classified people based on their income. She always

Analysis of "The Necklace" Essay
Bickford
English 1102
6 February 2006
Analysis of "The Necklace" Many women dream of living a rich life, full of luxury, riches and
servants. In the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, a middle–class woman named
Madame Loisel desires that life style very much. In "The Necklace" Madame Loisel's vain desires
cause many conflicts and her ultimate downfall. One small conflict in the story is Madame Loisel
vs. her husband. He is always trying to make his wife satisfied and she never appreciates him or
their way of life. De Maupassant makes this clear in the beginning by telling the reader that "she let
herself be married to a little clerk" (p77). The word "let" indicates her unhappiness with her
marriage to him. He...show more content...
She asks her husband for four hundred franks to buy a dress for the ball and he agrees. He had
been saving that money for himself, but instead he chose to make his wife happy. She is very
excited about going to a ball and having an elegant dress. She knew that would be her chance "to
please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after" (p78). However she realizes three days
before the ball that she has no jewelry to wear and that her husband cannot afford to spend any
more money. Her husband suggests wearing a nice flower, but Madame Loisel would feel like the
flower would show her that she cannot afford real jewelry and that she is the lowly wife of a clerk.
At the last moment, she remembers her rich friend and she goes to her to ask her if she could
borrow some jewelry. Her friend agrees to let her borrow a necklace that appears to be made of
diamonds. All of Madame Loisel's desires are fulfill at the ball. She charms everyone and her
beauty is recognized. She is happier than ever because she has fulfilled her vain desires. She has
finally lived her dream. All of her acts show her desire for the upper class life. Her next act,
however, causes her downfall. Her greed and pride finally catch up with her after the ball and she
and her husband become victims of her greedy desires. When Madame Loisel arrives at home she
realizes that she lost her friend's necklace. Her husband relentlessly searches, but

The Necklace
In The Necklace, Madame Loisel was embarrassed by her poverty which made her state of being
even worse with her self–centered actions. Characteristics to describe her actions would be
materialistic, ungrateful, and unappreciative. Evidences from the story, about these characteristics,
are given to support them. Madame Loisel have plenty of traits that describes her, but the three that
stood out the most was materialistic, ungrateful, and unappreciative. With a simple, loving, and
caring husband didn't stop her self–centered actions. She was wishing for a more luxury lifetime,
rather than being appreciative. At the beginning of the story, Madame Loisel emanated a
materialistic perspective. The narrator stated, "She suffered constantly, feeling

The Necklace Reflection
Life isn't always the way you imagine it to be. A great example of that is In the story we read
called "The Necklace". The main character Mme. Loisel was described as beautiful woman on the
outside, but on the inside she had many changing attitudes and opinions on life. She always dreamt
of a luxurious life that she could potentially gain because of her beauty and charmingness. When
things didn't go the way she expected, after attending a huge party many sudden changes were made.
In the story, "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant the main character Mme. Loisel experiences
many adjustments in her life before, during, and after attending this grand party.
To start off, before Mme. Loisel attends the party she was described as a very...show more content...
In "The Necklace" the narrator states,""She was prettiest one there, fashionable, gracious, smiling,
and wild with joy. All the men turned to look at her, asked who she was, begged to be
introduced"(lines 114–116). This shows how, everyone reacts to Loisel, just as she expected. I
assume she expects to be asked to marry one of the many wealthy men there. It's like she forgot she
was married. It also states, "She danced wildly, with passion, drunk on pleasure, forgetting
everything in the triumph of her beauty, the pride of her success, in a kind of happiness cloud
composed of all the adulation"(lines 118–120). This shows, what a great time Mme. Loisel was
having. She was dancing, drinking, getting a better feeling on how luxurious her life could be.
Everything she has wanted could become real, soon, that is if nothing bad happens.
After Mme. Loisel loses the necklace all her dreams diminished and her life took a drastic turn all
for something that didn't really need to happen. In the story, it states, "Mme, Loisel appeared an old
woman, now. She became heavy, rough, harsh, like one of the poor" (lines 116–117). As you can
see, just by the description of her you can tell things haven't gone the way she expected. The once
beautiful woman has turned into a woman twice her age. Everything she didn't want to happen did,
and although I didn't really like her attitude, I still feel bad for her. The narrator also states,"Should
she speak to

The Necklace Essay
Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is a short story about a middle–class girl Mathilde, who loses
her friend's costly necklace and spends a decade paying for its replacement. "The Necklace"
represents the story of a standard young lady who loves her husband, despite her desires to be an
affluent person. However, readers fail to notice that Madame Loisel's love for Monsieur Loisel
vanishes upon their marriage and her materialistic personalities continue to increase. "The Necklace"
is influencing other stories because of its elegance and love, but people will never understand the
melancholy and negative reality of this narrative. Therefore, in the short story "The Necklace" by
Guy de Maupassant, the protagonist Mathilde is portrayed as a dissatisfied, begrudging, and
calumniating character through her perspective of her average life, her actions toward her friend
Madame Forestier, and her husband Monsieur Loisel. To show that Mathilde is dissatisfied with her
ordinary life, the author mentions "She grieved over the shabbiness of her apartment, the dinginess
of the walls, the worn–out appearance of the chairs, the ugliness of the draperies" (Maupassant 198).
This quote tells the reader that Madame Loisel has many complaints about her lifestyle as well as her
...show more content...
. .] she scornfully tossed the invitation on the table, murmuring, 'What good is that to me?'"
(Maupassant 200). In this situation, Monsieur Loisel brings home an invitation from the Minister of
Education and Madame Ramponneau for Madame and Monsieur Loisel to attend the evening
reception. But instead of being ecstatic, she shows her agitated state by tossing the invitation
purposely to make her husband feel apologetic and ashamed. Maupassant says "She gave him an
irritated glance and burst out impatiently, 'What do you think I have to go in?'" (200) to characterize
Mathilde as a harrowing and hellish wife to her

The Necklace Essay
19th century France was a period of time when citizens were defined by their social caste; some
of its members were dissatisfied by the castes they were born into and struggled to overcome
them. The French version of the caste system was one that promoted materialism, as all of the
happiest, richest of people also possessed the most. Henri Frederic Amiel said "Materialism
coarsens and petrifies everything, making everything vulgar, and every truth false." This idea is
epitomized by the character Madame Loisel in "The Necklace". The main character of the story,
Madame Loisel, is noted by the author for the beauty, but by the end of the story, as her materialism
took control of her life, she had become an aged, harsh woman. In Guy de Maupassant's...show more
content...
As a woman living in 18th century France, the only way for her to move up in class was to marry
up. In "The Necklace", Maupassant assists the reader in understanding Madame Loisel's situation
as "she had no dowry, no hopes. Not the slightest chance of being appreciated...by a rich and
distinguished man" (686). Madame Loisel is unable to marry the type of man she wishes due to
the caste she was born into. In order for Madame Loisel to move into the caste she desires, she
would have to marry up. But without a dowry, no rich man will have her. Madame Loisel was
made to be "dressed plainly since she could not be adorned; but she was unhappy as though kept
out of her class" (686). She is clearly not a woman meant for such simple things, yet by a cruel
twist of fate, was born into a position that would not allow her the life she was meant for.
Madame Loisel is unable to prosper as long as she is so aware of the discrepancies between where
fate has placed her and where she belongs. Guy de Maupassant provides a comparison: "She
suffered from the poverty of her dwelling...which another woman of her caste would not even have
noticed" (686). Madame Loisel's refusal to accept her fate is unreasonable, as many other woman in
the same situation as she have managed quite well. Madame Loisel is fighting against her fate when
she hopes for a different caste, and she would be

The Necklace
In this essay, i will discuss how our needs relate to our wants, and how we decide what we want
versus what we need. A lot of thee time, you see people get their wants mixed up with their needs,
which is not always good. Some think wants are more important than needs. We need to get this
straight, needs are always more important than wants needs are essential. This is always true, no
matter the situation. Some families cannot afford wants, and can barely afford needs. Every need is
important and cherished. I will use three short stories to prove my rightness, and explain my
statement.
The Necklace
For this first paragraph, i will be discussing how the necklace relates to wants and needs. The
necklace proves that you can have wants, but you cannot let them overpower needs and you
cannot let them make you stop appreciating what you have in life. Mathilde takes a necklace from
her friend, and then loses it. She would not tell her friend, because she was scared. She wanted to
look more beautiful with more expensive jewelry, but could not afford to replace it. She was
irresponsible. " I hate not having a single jewel, not even a stone..." (maupassant 375). She wants to
be rich and have all the jewels in the world, more than just appreciating what she has and accepting it.
...show more content...
Jonathan, the main character, only really needs his family. He does not say it directly, but he says
all he needs are his 5 inestimable blessings. By this, he means the heads of his kids and his wife.
He does not have money for wants, but he needs to take care of his family. For example, Jonathan
says he does not need his bike, but it is a blessing to him, and he is thankful every day for having it
(Achebe

My Necklace Essay
In today's world what we wear and how we present ourselves can say a lot about who we are and
the stories we can tell. Without speaking a word to another person someone could decipher many
things about me based on a necklace that I wear. My necklace could reveal many different aspects
of who I am. it could reveal that I am close with my family. It could also be determined that I value
the sentimental value over the monetary value. As a gift from my grandmother I have many
personal attachments to this necklace, it will allow people to think certain things about me, and it
can reveal a lot about who I am; but there are also things that it doesn't show.
When I graduated from highschool I was felt very honoured to have my grandmother attend, her
presence alone was all I needed from her on my big day but she still presented me with a gift, a
beautiful necklace. That was the last time I really saw her while she was completely there. This
necklace is a reminder to me of how much I love my grandmother and it brings me back to all the
good memories I have with her. I connect with this object on a very personal level because it is so
much more than a necklace with monetary value to me, I truly value the meaning behind the
necklace more than I do that actual physical object. This objects reflects certain aspects of my
life; it shows that I love and care for my family and it is a way to show that love by wearing the gifts
that were given to me as a physical representation of love. I

Loisel's The Necklace
It seems a desire in human nature to want more and more things for the sake of having them and for
treasuring them. No matter the amount or cost some people have the tendency to obtain as much as
they can get, because they can never have enough stuff. The character of Madame Mithilde Loisel
from the short story, "The Necklace," without a doubt has this trait. Monsieur and Madame (M. and
Mme.) Loisel are a couple living in Paris. Mme. Loisel, although beautiful, is very unhappy with
the life she has been given. One day, M. Loisel receives an invite to a nighttime ball, but Mme.
Loisel refuses to go unless she has something marvelous to showcase herself with. Her husband
manages to obtain a dress for her, and she manages to get a necklace from an old friend, Mme.
Forestier. Once M. and Mme. Loisel return from their amazing night at the ball, Mithilde realizes that
she has...show more content...
Loisel is something that ultimately shapes the events that occur in the story. Although she is in the
middle to low class part of society, she believes that she has the right to everything for her to be
perfect. "[Mithilde] believes that superficial things– a large house, a ball gown, and better furniture
will truly make her happy" ("The Necklace"). It is said that she is stunning and absolutely
beautiful, but she "[felt] that she had been born for all of the little necessities and luxuries for
living" (Maupassant, 70). The blindness of her beauty and her dreams of riches lead to the
conflict within the story. When invited to attend a ball with her husband, Mme. Loisel refuses
because she does not have the proper attire. "Her invitation to the party reminded her of her lack
of jewels and ball gems."("The Necklace"). Her husband is unable to maintain a dress which is
good enough by itself, but Mithilde argues that it has to be as perfect as it can be and it could not
be completed without some sort of accessory, and that accessory will lead to her

The Necklace Essay

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The Necklace Essay