Essay, Research Paper
The Necklace: The Downfall of Mathilde Loisel
Chad Pugh
English 2025
Dr. Bovey
Jealousy and envy are among the greatest of sins and have been the down
fall of many. Maupassant’s “The Necklace” is the story of a woman who is
overcome with jealousy and envy. Mathilde Loisel feels she has been cheated by
life from all of the wonderful things it has to offer. The reader learns how
these qualities in Mme. Loisel come back to haunt her for many years as the
story unfolds with an ironic ending.
Mathilde Loisel, as the main character of the story, is truly believable.
She is described as “one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes,
born into a family of clerks”(900). The author describes how she suffers from
her lifestyle of being middle-class. There is a stereotypical “rich man, poor
man” quality as Mme. Loisel longs for the material things that her old
schoolmate Mme. Forester has. The physical appearance of the characters as well
as their actions, thought, and emotions are very detailed throughout the story.
The main character’s life, as well as her husband’s, takes a dramatic turn and
the author describes the physical and emotional changes in great detail.
The story’s title does not signify the theme however, the theme of the
story is reiterated throughout the story. “She had no dresses, no jewels,
nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so
have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after”(900).
Mme. Loisel was envious of her friend and anyone else who had more than what she
had. She felt that she deserved these things.
The plot grows completely out of the personalities of the characters. As
the story opens, Mme. Loisel’s husband comes home with an invitation to a ball
at the palace. He had hoped that this invitation would lift Mme. Loisel’s
spirits but it had an opposite effect. She insisted that she could not go
because she had nothing to wear. Mme. Loisel’s husband reluctantly gave her the
money he had been saving for a gun so she could buy a “suitable” dress. Next,
Mme. decided that she would rather not go than go without jewelry. Her husband
suggested that she borrow a piece from her friend, Mme. Forestier. Mme.
Forestier allowed Mme. Loisel to borrow “a superb necklace of diamonds”(902).
Mathilde Loisel had a wonderful time at the ball. “She danced with
intoxication, with passion, made drunk by pleasure, forgetting all, in the
triumph of her beauty, in the glory of her success, in a sort of cloud of
happiness composed of all this homage, of all this admiration, of all these
awakened desires, and of that sense of complete victory which is so sweet to a
woman’s heart”(902). Upon arriving home, Mme. Loisel realized that the
wonderful necklace she borrowed from Mme. Forestier was gone! Mathilde and her
husband looked everywhere but could not find the necklace. Mathilde called Mme.
Forestier and told her that she had broken the clasp of the necklace and was
having it fixed for her. The next day, Mme. Loisel and her husband bought a
necklace to replace the one she had lost for thirty-six thousand francs. Buying
the necklace was not a simple process for the couple. They borrowed a great sum
of money from several different people and they both took on several jobs. “She
came to know what heavy housework meant and the odious cares of the
kitchen”(904-905). “And dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the
fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher, her basket on her arm, bargaining, insulted,
defending her miserable money sou by sou”(905). After ten long years of hard
work, they finally finished paying their debts. Mathilde wondered what life
would have been like if she had not lost the necklace. “How little a thing is
needed for us to be lost or to be saved”(905).
The climax of the story comes when one day, Mme. Loisel was taking a walk
and saw Mme. Forestier. She called out to Mme. Forestier, but she insisted that
she did not know Mme. Loisel. “Mme. Loisel looked old now. She had become the
woman of impoverished households – strong and hard and rough”(905). When
Mathilde told her who she was, Mme. Forestier replied, “Oh, my poor Mathilde!
How you are changed!”(905). It had been such a long time and Mathilde had been
working her fingers to the bone to pay for the necklace she lost.
Mme. Loisel felt that her lie had gone on long enough so she told Mme.
Forestier what happened to her original necklace and what she had been through
to pay for the replacement that was thirty-six thousand francs. Mme. Forestier
was terribly suprised and replied, “Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was
paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs!”(906).
Mathilde Loisel was an envious woman. She desperately wanted to be like
her friend Mme. Forestier, with plenty of money, jewels, and beautiful clothes.
She felt cheated from all of the good things in life that she felt she deserved.
This overwhelming feeling of envy cast a shadow throughout Mme. Loisel’s life as
she found out that things are not always as good as they seem to be.
Другие работы по теме:
Suspension Of Disbelief Essay Research Paper Suspension
Suspension Of Disbelief Essay, Research Paper Suspension of Disbelief An author can encourage us to suspend our disbelief or purposely discourage us to do so. A good example would be the way an author describes something to us. For example, if an author vividly describes an event, a setting, or a character this would be effective in suspending the reader s disbelief.
A Fool
’s Payment Essay, Research Paper A Fool’s Payment In the short story, “The Necklace,” a greedy and selfish woman brings financial ruin upon herself and her husband. They go from a comfortable lifestyle in a slightly shabby apartment to an impoverished existence in an attic apartment. Mathilde Loisel was born to a lower middle class French family, but she wished that she could have of noble birth.
Female Protagonists Essay Research Paper The desire
Female Protagonists Essay, Research Paper The desire for freedom is a similar aspect of the female protagonists Louise Mallard, Mathilde Loisel, and Emily Grierson.In Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” Guy DE Maupassant’s, “The Necklace,” and William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” the female protagonist’s have a desire for freedom.
Relating The Setting To The Characters In
The Necklace By Guy De Maupassant Essay, Research Paper Daniel Beck English 113 D January 15, 2001 Essay 1 “The Necklace” The author of “The Necklace”, Guy de Maupassant, relates the setting to Mathilde throughout the story. The central character in “The Necklace” is Mathilde. She dreams many dreams of rich living and high society.
To Room Nineteen Essay Research Paper Surprise
To Room Nineteen Essay, Research Paper Surprise Endings Many stories often benefit from surprise endings. They can give us great insight into the characters. Four stories that have surprise endings are Rose for Emily, Young Goodman Brown, To Room Nineteen, and The Necklace.
Thomas Edison Essay Research Paper Jenny
Thomas Edison Essay, Research Paper Jenny’s Pearl Necklace The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them:
The Irony Of The Short Stories
, “The Necklace” And “The Gift Of The Magi” Essay, Research Paper The irony in the short stories, “The Necklace” and “The Gift of the Magi,” ought to be further analyzed. Through examination of this element in literature the reader can derive many morals and themes that could be useful in their own lives. “The Necklace” is a perfect example of irony and sends many powerful messages to the reader.
Guy De Maupassant
’s The Necklace Essay, Research Paper I believe that Mathilde is materialistic and selfish. She took away happiness both from herself and her husband because “she burned with the desire to please, to be envied, to be attractive and sought after.” This desire led to her downfall and her husband;s misery. I am in no way able to show compassion for this lady.
Hunters
& Gatherers Essay, Research Paper Anthropology 1010: Assignment 1 The Asmat, Headhunters, people are located in New Guinea’s West Iran. These people actually cut off people heads and eat their brains and wear their jaws as a necklace. People’s brains are not their main source of food. The major food of these people is the starch of the sago palm that they roast.
Is President Bill Clinton A Tragic Character
Essay, Research Paper Is President Bill Clinton a Tragic character? A tragic character is someone who is basically good, strong, intelligent, and not a martyr. A tragic character must have good fortune and be successful. A tragic character must also possess a tragic flaw, which in an attribute that would lead to a downfall.
Oedipus And Job Essay Research Paper Comparing
Oedipus And Job Essay, Research Paper Comparing and Contrasting Oedipus and Job The Book of Job and Oedipus and King are very similar stories in that both characters in each story suffer a very big downfall. In these two stories you see the characters and how they deal with adversity. The one who keeps faith and looks toward a better life is usually the person who will come out on top.
The Necklace Essay Research Paper Guy De
The Necklace Essay, Research Paper Guy De Maussapant?s story "The Necklace" focuses on Mathilde Loisel, a character consumed by pride. Guy De Maussapant has successful describing Mathilde as a young, poor, and proud woman that live in France during seventeenth century. In this story "The Necklace," Mathilde?s character is revealed by what she hopes, what she says, and what she does.
The Necklace Essay Research Paper When I
The Necklace Essay, Research Paper When I first read “The Necklace” I hated it, and hated the author for writing such a mean little story. I was surprised that my ninth grade classmates liked it. When I reread the story in English 113, I again disliked it, and was again surprised that anyone could like such a story.
The Necklace And A
?&P? Essay, Research Paper Flynn 1 “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant, and “A&P” by John Updike were written in two different centuries by two authors of very different backgrounds. However, each story expresses very similar views about women. The women in these stories are self-centered creatures who control men with their sexuality, and end up damaging the men’s life.
The Necklace Essay Research Paper
“The Necklace” The theme of Guy de Maupassant story “The Necklace” seems to be suggested by the line, “What would have happened if Mathilde had not lost the necklace?”.
The Necklace Compared To The Star Essay
, Research Paper The story "The Star", which was written in 1970?s, is trying to say that we need to understand the truth of our fate rather than put on blinders and quit refusing everything else that we don?t want to see. In the story "The Necklace" written by Guy De Maupassant the woman worked herself to the bone for ten years trying to pay off the debt used to pay for the necklace she lost at the ball.
Freya Goddess Of Love Essay Research Paper
Freya: Goddess of Love And Beauty Freya, also known as Freya, was the Norse goddess of sexual love and beauty. Freya the goddess of love was well known for her beauty. “She was the Scandinavian material equivalent to the Greek Aprodite, the goddess of love and beauty” (Wilson 39).
Gift Of Magi And Necklace Essay Research
Paper Rob Reynolds In the short stories “The Gift of the Magi”, and “The Necklace” there are many things that can noticed that are similar. The settings of these two stories are very similar:
Maupassant Essay Research Paper The Pessimistic Writer
Maupassant Essay, Research Paper The Pessimistic Writer A watchmaker and haberdasher from Paris, a peasant from Goderville, and an unhappy woman from Martyr Street, are all intertwined in Maupassant s writing. Guy de Maupassant, the famed nineteenth century French Storyteller distinctively outlines the bitterness, brutality, and pessimism that these four characters experience in his three short stories, Two Friends, The Piece of String, and The Necklace.
Who Is Most To Blame For Macbeth
’s Downfall? Essay, Research Paper Who Is Most To Blame For Macbeth’s Downfall? I have chosen to write my essay about the cause of Macbeth’s downfall. I believe Macbeth had an immense build up of hatred inside him waiting to be
Shame Essay Research Paper What Cause People
Shame Essay, Research Paper What Cause People to Have Shame? What is shame? According to the New International Webster s Pocket Dictionary of the English Language shame means, a painful feeling caused by a sense of guilt, unworthiness, impropriety, etc. Another definition is a person or thing causing disgrace or humiliation.
The Necklace A Closer Look At Character
Essay, Research Paper The Necklace: A Closer Look at Character English 102 P Buss Essay 1 In any literay work, it is absolutely essential to have characters,
Essay On Tragic Characters From Antigone Essay
, Research Paper After examining the play, Antigone, for tragic characters, it is seen that there could be many different possibilities. One character is clearly shown to be the tragic character
Necklace And Rocking Horse Winner Essay Research
Paper ?The Necklace? by Guy De Maupassant and ?The Rocking Horse Winner? by D.H. Lawrence have two women in these stories that show no care or concern for anyone but themselves. Hester and Mathilde both had families that they truly did
Mcmurphy Is A Tragic Hero Essay Research
Paper McMurphy is a tragic hero who has many reasons that leads to his incentable downfall. McMurphy is a patient inside a ward with cronics and acutes. McMurphy enters the ward not knowing the policy of the ward causing mayhem by going against policy rules due to his actions. I think that his action is the spark to his incentable downfall.
The Necklace Essay Research Paper Looks Can
The Necklace Essay, Research Paper Looks Can be Deceiving Madame Loisel is a greedy and selfish woman who forever changes her and her husbands life through being greedy and bringing on financial ruin. When Mr. Loisel brings
Irony In Your Every Day Life Essay
, Research Paper Assignment: Freewrite on the irony in your every day life. Then polish it up and write a paragraph about the irony you encounter. Isn’t That Ironic?
Macbeth Essay Research Paper The Downfall of
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper The Downfall of Macbeth Macbeth’s love for Lady Macbeth, in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, caused Macbeth to feel the need to prove his manhood, which eventually lead to his downfall. Macbeth was not secure in his manhood, so he felt the need to prove himself to Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth Downfall Essay Research Paper In Macbeth
Macbeth Downfall Essay, Research Paper In Macbeth there were a few factors that contributed to the degeneration of the Macbeth character. There were three factors that destroyed Macbeth. The main
Compare And Contrast Macbeth
’s And Hamlet’s Madness Essay, Research Paper Madness can be described as an internal flaw that both characters, Hamlet and Macbeth, possess. Although their madness is different in some aspects, it can be said that
Theme Of Essay Research Paper The Theme
Theme Of Essay, Research Paper The Theme of The Necklace The theme of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is it doesn t take much to destroy or save lives. When Mathilde lost her friend s necklace, it ruined the lives of her and her husband. They had to borrow money with outrageous interest rates, move into cheap apartment, and worked very hard.
The Witches Are Responsible For What Happens
To Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Although Macbeth does take actions that lead to his downfall, I believe that he is not totally responsible for what happens. Although he takes the action that leads to his downfall, he perhaps would not have done this if the witches had not told him that he would be king in Act 1 Scene 3.
Things Fall Apart 6 Essay Research Paper
Things Fall Apart Essay The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe definitely has a fitting title. It explains how two cultures with different ideas and beliefs can clash and be intolerant towards one another. Most of the theme is developed through the plot of the story and through a man and his struggle against fear and anger (the main character, Okonkwo).