Thesis: The character, Mathilde Loisel, changes noticeably in numerous ways.
Introduction
The short story is about a young woman who is not contented with the kind of life she is living. She wanted a lavish lifestyle which her husband cannot afford because he works as a clerk in the Ministry of Education.
Development of the Body
Mathilde’s life changes from one from poor ground to overnight treasures when she attends a party which she was invited to by her husband. Mathilde as the main character was able to convince his husband to buy her a dress, which she will wear in the party and her husband gave her the money to purchase it. She requests a beautiful, expensive necklace from a well-off friend of hers. Mathilde adjusts from being a flawed housewife to the status of a conformist woman. Mathilde and her partner are both involved in hunting frenetically for the lost necklace. She cheats Mrs. Forrester to have additional time to reinstate the lost diamond necklace. She eventually, together with her husband, takes the burden of the lost necklace.
Conclusion
Mathilde undergoes many changes in her individuality throughout this short story.
“The Necklace”
The main character of Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” Loisel Mathilde, changes in various ways throughout the story. “The Necklace” is a narrative featuring a hopeless, conceited, middle-class housewife who desires the noble lifestyle that she feels she deserves. In highlighting Mathilde’s unsympathetic self-centeredness while preparing for the party to which she was invited, and the reaction after she had lost the necklace she believed to be expensive, exposes her pride and nature. Consequently, this becomes the central theme of the story. The author portrays Mathilde as continuously changing throughout the novel.
The major character in the short story “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant is Mathilde Loisel, who aspires to be an outgoing and pretty girl and is obsessed with glamour. As Brackett points out, “she suffers constantly from what she views as a life of poverty” (Brackett). Her desire for wealth is a key theme to this story (Brackett). However, it was unfortunate for her since she was not born into a wealthy family who could afford the lifestyle she wants to live and make her dreams come true. Instead, she is rather married to a “little clerk” (De Maupassant) and they live in a shabby apartment; this phenomenon that brings tears and anguish to Mathilde. She spends most of her time in the house with nothing to do but cry over her shoddy furniture and the dream life she wished to live. Through analyzing the character of Mathilde, we can confirm that characterization supports the working thesis of her wanting to shift to the life she dreamed of, and to leave her husband.
Mathilde hates her life and her husband. She cries all day, lamenting on the state of life she is leading now and which is not her dream. She longs to be in the situation she feels she deserves (Kleine-Ahlbrandt). The other character in the short story is M. Loisel, Mathilde’s husband, who works as a clerk in education sector. Mathilde is not happy with him because he is a middle class employee, but M. Loisel is contented with his situation. He realizes the importance of small things and he is much devoted to his wife. Loisel goes all the way to obtain, for his wife, an invitation to attend a party. He was not personally interested in the party; his love for her urged him to secure the ticket. The idea was that, if she was invited into the party, her life would change because she would meet people of higher classes.
The plot of this short story develops through the main characters and minor characters. The story begins when M Loisel arrives home with the magnificent ball invitation. Mathilde reacts by going into a temper as she does not have a suitable dress to wear to the party.
Mathilde was able to solve the first challenge of the dress as her husband gave her the money to buy a suitable outfit. However, the first problem is solved and a second one materializes. She feels that she needs jewels to wear, in addition to the new dress. Luckily, her friend comes to her rescue with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace, which is expensive, changes the Mathilde’s life and causes her to refocus. Minor characters include M Georges Ramponneau, and the First Jeweler.
Malthilde enjoys the party. As Kleine-Ahlbrandt points out, “she appears to be the prettiest woman in the room; all men’s eyes are on her.”
The climax of the story is during the discovery by Mathilde. This is the most dramatic and exciting moment in the story and it becomes the twist of the plot. Mathilde borrows a gorgeous necklace from the rich friend and finally fulfills the dream of being a classy woman by wearing the diamond necklace, thus her status changes. However, she then loses the necklace, finally learning the true meaning of poverty (Brackett).
The themes expose her to have undergone some changes in character thus developing the various themes in the story. The Necklace in the short story is a way of telling the truth and facing the outcomes than rather trying to defend one’s pride by deceiving. It is the element of pride which made Mathilde and her husband unable to admit that they had lost the necklace. Mathilde feels poor when she loses the necklace and her newly found magnificence fades away. Mathilde changes from being a complaining housewife to a well-off woman of status. Mathilde demonstrates real concern for the first time after she has lost the necklace. Her character shifts again when she becomes even poorer than she originally felt, emphasizing the main theme
The characterization, plot and theme of the story exposes Mathilde’s shift in character, several times, from the beginning to the end of the story. The reader can easily understand the changing character of Mathilde from the beginning of the story. The difficult lessons that Mathilde learns assist in maturing her as a woman and, indeed, as a human being.
Works Cited
Brackett, V. “The Necklace.” Galileo. 2012. Web. 26 March 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail?sid=c4f74ade-7e23-43b4-98bf-98c05a678c8b%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=123&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=103331MP423449820000699&anchor=toc
De Maupassant, G. “The Necklace.” 2009. Shamrock Eden Publishing.
Kleine-Ahlbrandt, L. “The Necklace.” Galileo. 2012. Web. 26 March 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail?vid=5&hid=123&sid=1adb4fbc-713a-429f-b128-ba17c62f4f1c%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=103331MSS18969240000218
