An invitation meant for a night of fun and fantasy at a ball, ended up leading an earnest lady to years of hard-work and stress. Guy de Maupassant’s short story called “The Necklace” follows the life of Mathilde Loisel, a woman who desired to embody the presence and life of the upper class. She approached her friend Madame Forestier while searching for a piece of jewelry to complete her look for an exciting night out. What filled up her eager heart was a diamond necklace that Madame Forestier loaned her. Eagerness turned into insurmountable fear as she lost the necklace while out and about. She was now faced with a dilemma: either be upfront and honest about losing it or fabricate a lie and be dishonest to her friend. Despite the lack of a happy ending, “The Necklace” is a brilliant short story that depicts the consequences of not telling the truth, how being ungrateful ruins a person and gender roles in the past.
Dishonesty hit …show more content…
Mathilde yearned to be glamorous and feel beautiful. She aspired to live a life as a higher class women. “She would have liked so much to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after.” (Maupassant 1). Perfectly shown through the character Mathilde, gender roles can lead to unhappy individuals. In society’s eyes, women had to dress in high quality and elegant clothes. Unconsciously knowing this, she tried her best to prepare for the ball. Her number one priority became her appearance as she tried to piece together the perfect look. She viewed the necklace as something so vital. It is quite tragic to see how highly the importance of appearances, especially for women, has been throughout history. A woman “has” to dress a certain way in order for them to feel beautiful due to society being so quick to judge. Mathilde had no reason to dissemble had society not ridiculed the lower class
Dishonesty hit …show more content…
Mathilde yearned to be glamorous and feel beautiful. She aspired to live a life as a higher class women. “She would have liked so much to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after.” (Maupassant 1). Perfectly shown through the character Mathilde, gender roles can lead to unhappy individuals. In society’s eyes, women had to dress in high quality and elegant clothes. Unconsciously knowing this, she tried her best to prepare for the ball. Her number one priority became her appearance as she tried to piece together the perfect look. She viewed the necklace as something so vital. It is quite tragic to see how highly the importance of appearances, especially for women, has been throughout history. A woman “has” to dress a certain way in order for them to feel beautiful due to society being so quick to judge. Mathilde had no reason to dissemble had society not ridiculed the lower class