Greediness and lack of appreciation can cause a person to lose what is most important. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is a short story about a woman, Mathilde Loisel, who wants more than she has, and because of this she ends up in a state which was worse than beforehand. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is about a woman, Dee, who visits her family and tries to take a quilt that would look good hanging in her home, but the quilt was promised to her younger sibling, Maggie. Both short stories are similar, but also have different aspects. Each story has a woman who is greedy, these women also take what they have for granted, and each story has sacrifices that were made for the benefit of these women. …show more content…
Dee was greedy for objects that she could display around her home that would show her friends how successful she has become despite her previous poor situation. While visiting her mother and sister, Dee took objects from around the house for herself. “She looked at the churn and looked at it. ‘This churn top is what I need,’... ‘And I want the dasher, too’” (847). She wants to put the churn as a centerpiece for a table and use the dasher for something artistic. After dinner, Dee also tries to take a quilt that her Grandmother stitched by hand. When Dee is told that she cannot have them because they were promised to Maggie, Dee shouts, “‘Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!’ she said. ‘She’ll probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use’” (848). When asked what she would do with them Dee responded, “‘Hang them’ … As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts” (848). Instead of taking a different quilt, Dee is greedy and insistent that she take this specific one. However, Dee end up having to return the quilt to Maggie, but keeps the churn and …show more content…
In “The Necklace,” Mathilde’s greediness and lack of appreciation for the things she had led her and her husband to make sacrifices for their well being. If Mathilde was not so greedy for things that she did not have, she could have avoided the situation she was in completely. “Everyday Use” did have aspects of greed, lack of appreciation, and sacrifice, they were used differently in the story. Instead, sacrifices were made for Dee to be able to leave and live her life, and even when she came back being greedy and showing a lack of appreciation for what she had, her family still loved her and tried to make her happy. Dee left still not knowing the value of appreciating what she had, while Mathilde learned to appreciate what she