Marxism In The Diamond Necklace By Guy De Maupassant

Marxism in “The Diamond Necklace” Marxist Theory is a certain set of social, economic, and political ideas that may change the world according to the followers. Material circumstances are the economic conditions in which people live. In the short story “The Diamond Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, the economic standings of the characters is shown to be of great importance because they rely on their measure of wealth in society. Within the story the most obvious use of Marxist theory is between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat characters and how their material circumstances affect their lives. In the beginning of the story, the material circumstances of Madame Loisel (Matilda) and her husband are clearly set as either low middle class or poor in the economic standpoint of society. They are known to be the proletariat characters, because they are controlled by the upper classes and gain their wealth only from what they earn by working. It is clear that Matilda only wants to be wealthy so she can be higher up in social standings to compete with other people. “She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things. She felt she was made for them. She had such a desire to please, to be sought after, to be clever, and courted” (338). This is …show more content…
In the short story “The Diamond Necklace”, Madame Loisel and her husband are stuck in their poor economic standing making them the proletariat characters. While Mrs. Forestier is wealthy and has economic power, making her the bourgeoisie character of the story. Matilda mistakenly wants wealth over her own spiritual needs as to love her husband, and she trades a simple life of working for what she needs to being a slave to the upper class in paying her debt to a fake diamond necklace. In the end she loses her prior social standing to falling even lower into the poor lower