Free Essay On Analyzing The Necklace Through Types Of Stereotypes

In the short story (!) The Necklace or The Diamond Necklace, French classic writer Guy De Maupassant tells an ironic story about Mathilde Loisel. She is the main character who was born in a family of laborers. She lives an uptight life with a little clerk who works in the Department of Education. One day, Mathilde’s husband receives an invitation to a palace ball, but she starts worrying she has no appropriate dress or accessories to wear to it. Therefore, her husband has to spend four hundred francs on a new dress. Mathilde also borrows a diamond necklace from her rich friend Madame Forestier. When she dances in her ostentatious dress, she is no doubt a shining star in the ball. However, as she leaves the palace excitedly, she finds out the diamond necklace was lost. Unfortunately, Madame Loisel and her husband now have to take a high-interest loan to purchase a similar necklace for Madame Forestier. It costed them 36,000 francs. After ten years of efforts and impoverished life to pay the loan, Madame Loisel is told that the original necklace was a fake and only worth five hundred francs.
Throughout the whole story, Loisel is portrayed as a peacockish woman who is led by a stereotype that clothing and accessories are indispensable to highlight women’s beauty and noble identity. Theodore Dalrymple (2013) claims in Types of Stereotypes that “Stereotyping is inevitable in complex societies in which not everything can be known about every individual”. In Loisel’s case, it was revealed that people usually stereotype others by symbols, even though this stereotype can create temporary positive effects. Sticking to the stereotypes can lead to a very negative outcome. As Loisel could not afford beautiful clothes, her natural beauty was overshadowed by poor living. Thus, Loisel wanted others to treat her as a glamorous woman who belongs to higher society by dressing herself up. In this way, she could be admired by others instead of being biased as a poor woman. However, Loisel insisted that the necklace must be real and luxurious, so she had to pay the price for her stereotypical thinking in the end. Although the stereotypes may be inevitable in her life, she could have at least avoid the tragedy by initially talking to Madame Forestier and finding out the truth.
For instance, if people want to display their individuality, they can choose suitable exterior attributes in order to deliver positive symbols. In the novel, Loisel was dressed up not just because the dress was fabulous and the necklace was fantastic, but also because she wanted others attending the party to stereotype her as a wealthy and glamourous woman. Concurrently, Theodore (2013) claims that a young man dressed in a tweed jacket who comes toward you may not attack you, and what he wants is to be stereotyped as dangerous. Similarly, when Loisel was well-dressed and appeared in the palace, she did not intend to develop her social circle by using those people from the Department of Education. What she wanted was to show her beauty and fascination of the event. She was dancing with delight and passion, but thinking of nothing than the triumph of her beauty and the glory of her success. Indeed, Loisel became the center of the whole party. Therefore, her wearing apparel created positive stereotypes for her which made others regard her as a prosperous lady. Moreover, when the party was over at four in the morning, every woman wore plain tippets in case of catching cold; but Loisel, still addicted to the sense of being admired by attendants of the ball, refused to put the shabby tippet. As you can see, clothing is very important for people. Nevertheless, as we can see from Maupassant’s story, stereotypes connected to it create only a temporary and visual benefit in the society
People with stereotypical thinking always tend to stereotype others in different ways without changing their mind, which may cause tragedies in the end. As Theodore (2013) explains, “For most people, the willing suspension of disbelief is difficult and requires effort”. Indeed, most people would rather follow their old thinking and spend time dealing with troubles caused by their stereotypes than find out the truth and correct the bias of their thinking. As an illustration, the tragedy that the couple had to spend ten years to pay for the loan was caused by Loisel’s insistence in her stereotypical thinking. When Loisel borrowed the necklace from Madame Forestier, she did not inquire about its real value from the owner, because she considered its value must equal to its attractiveness. In addition, she persisted in compensating the necklace instead of telling the truth to Madame Forestier when she lost it. The couple took the box to the jewelry store and found the same style necklace which was worth 36,000 francs. Although the couple could not afford the price, they still chose to borrow high-interest loan and even live in a tougher conditions. Consequently, Loisel’s stubbornness and focus on the stereotype finally caused the tragedy. Nevertheless, when they completely paid off the loan and interest, Loisel got to know the truth from Madame Forestier that the original necklace was a fake. On the other hand, if Loisel could communicate with Madame Forestier after losing the necklace, she would not have to make that compensation. In this way, although stereotypes cannot be totally removed from mind of an individual, a conversation may create possibility to avoid the tragedy. Thus, it is not always difficult for people to suspect their disbelief, and efficient communication with others is always necessary and significant when they deal with troubles.
In conclusion, The Necklace is a short story that depicts many aspects of the society. It is not always the right choice to stereotype others by the messages they deliver through symbols. Although people can benefit from the positive stereotyping, addicting to the sense of being admired and persisting on the stereotypes could result in a tragedy. For those reasons, vanity and stereotypes of wealth are improper and should be avoided. Furthermore, it is always necessary to communicate with others to correct the bias of stereotypical thinking.