Introduction Guy De Maupassant's Short Story example essay topic

Pros Excellent character study Cons The protagonist is less than perfect The Bottom Line Guy de Maupassant's story has stood the test of time and is as relevant today as when Maupassant wrote it in the late nineteenth century. An Introduction Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace" weaves a tale about Madame Mathilde Lois el who dreams of the finer things of life and is not content with her secure, middle class lifestyle. The price she pays for a single evening of elegance turns into years of drudgery and despair. This is a story that has stood the test of time and is as relevant today as when Maupassant wrote it in the late nineteenth century. The Plot Begins The plot begins with a description of the protagonist, Mathilde, a young lady born into a family with little means, and who marries a gentleman who is employed as a clerk. The setting of this story is late nineteenth century France.

Maupassant employs the limited omniscient narrative perspective and utilizes third-person narration in this short story that allows his readers an intimate look into Mathilde's life. Utilizing this point of view enables his readers to appreciate the changes that take place in her character. The narrator's tone in this piece is unsympathetic towards the protagonist. Mathilde's Life Mathilde is unhappy with her lot in life.

She is portrayed as someone who believes she deserves a better life than the one she has; she wants to "please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after". The shame that she feels about her own financial and social status is something that many people can understand. The difference is that most people are unwilling to make the sacrifices made by Mathilde and her husband for one night of pleasure. Masterfully Portrayed Maupassant masterfully portrays the depth of emotion of this character throughout this story especially in the scene when her husband comes home with an invitation to the ball. Instead of "being delighted" with the invitation, she throws it on the table "muttering".

Maupassant continues to explain her reaction and how she becomes "irritated" and impatient with her husband. Supposed Poverty Mathilde does not believe her own possessions to be valuable and believes that people of her social class assume things are only valuable if they are expensive. She fails to realize that objects only have value as long as someone prizes them. She spends so much time convincing herself that possessions only have value if they are expensive that she loses sight of the real value of things. This turns out to be a serious error on her part. The Use of Irony Maupassant masterfully uses irony to produce a surprise ending in this short story.

In doing so, he attempts to teach his readers several different moral lessons. Maupassant asserts that the people who survive the misfortunes of life are somehow stronger and therefore actually benefit from their adversities.