Necklace analysis essay 1
Running head: NECKLACE ANALYSIS ESSAY
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Necklace Analysis Essay
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NECKLACE ANALYSIS ESSAY
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The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
The Necklace was written by Guy de Maupassant in 1884. It is a popular mortality story
and short story that focuses on the themes of vanity, beauty, deceptive appearance, and greed. The
importance of this short story shows that determination and greed above our means might lead to
the destruction of the future. Irresistible desire to live luxurious life blinds Loisel to the reliefs she
already has. Greedy nature leads her to lose status and wealth. Therefore, the analysis of “The
Necklace” shows that
Themes in “The Necklace” include gender, social class, marriage, and beauty. Gender
plays an important role in the story, as Loisel is a female who is not satisfied with social class. She
is also forced to do her job because of financial strain. Social class causes her to borrow a necklace
to wear at in party to which she and her husband have been invited (Nurmalasari & Samanik,
2018). Beauty is infused in virtue of social value, as Loisel is also appraised by men due to her
beauty at parties. Marriages were not arranged in the nineteenth century officially. Starting of “The
Necklace” shows a doomed wedding because Loisel desires for luxurious life that her spouse can’t
provide her (Turan & Colak, 2018). Various symbols are used in “The Necklace” such as;
necklace, coat, and mirror. The necklace is the main symbol in this story that shows the surfacelevel social class nature. The necklace is made up of fake jewels, but Loisel gets it as beautiful
because she trusts it to remain real. Loisel is perceived as beautiful at the party due to the status
and confidence that dressing like an upper-class individual gives her. So, the necklace symbolizes
status and wealth that Mathilde desires but cannot achieve. A coat that was given by the husband
of Loisel at the end of the party signifies current life which is not liked by Mathilde. The mirror
symbolizes the vanity of Mathilde as well as the significance that she connects to her outward
appearance.
NECKLACE ANALYSIS ESSAY
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Dramatic irony in “The Necklace” shows that Loisels take tremendous debt to relocate on
an apparent costly necklace that was an inexpensive imitation. At the start of the story, she is not
satisfied with her place in the community (Kumar, 2020). Literary devices are also used in the
short story such as; foreshadowing, hyperbole, personification, parallelism, imagery, and allusion.
An example of foreshadowing is “The Necklace” which is the jeweler says, “I did not sell that
necklace madame” (Maupassant, 663). Hyperbole would be an instance once madam Loisel
illustrates that she purchased a new necklace, “You can imagine that was not easy for us who had
nothing” (Maupassant, 665). She also purchased a diamond, a real and new necklace.
Personification is also used in the short story in which the narrator states the blunder life of
Mathilde (Irawan, 2019). Once the curtains and furniture in the house of Mathilde are explained
as insulting and tormenting her.
It is concluded that the short story “The Necklace” focuses on the beauty that pleasing
presence does not guide character. The necklace is so adorable but it is not worthy, and it also
portrays the strength of perception as well as splitting reality and appearance. There is a great
significance in acknowledging the way to attain pleasure in a lasting and meaningful way.
NECKLACE ANALYSIS ESSAY
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References
TURAN, Y. Z., & ÇOLAK, R. (2018). The Use of Short Story as a Learning/Teaching Tool in
ELT/EFL Classes:“The Necklace” By Guy De Maupassant1. Karabük Üniversitesi Sosyal
Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 8(1), 173-189.
Kumar, V. (2020). Translating for Children: The Necklace as a Case. International Journal of
Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics, 1(1), 29-32.
Nurmalasari, U., & Samanik, S. (2018, July). A Study of Social Stratification In France In 19th
Century as Portrayed inThe Necklace ‘La Parure’Short Story by Guy De Maupassant.
In English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings (Vol.
2, pp. 445-449).
Irawan, B. (2019). Three Dimensional Aspect of a Main Character Mathilde in Guy De
Maupassant’s THE NECKLACE. MORPHOSIS: JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, 1(1).
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