Why is it that some women are never satisfied? This is a question that many people ask, but the answer is debatable. It may be a deep-rooted crisis, dissatisfaction in a relationship, or maybe some women are born with the desire to be showered in lavish clothing and jewelry. In “The Diamond Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, this is true for the main character Mathilde. She finds herself in a life that she feels wasn’t meant for her, with a man who isn’t enough. Her raging desire for more out of life will lead to her own social demise. Guy de Maupassant uses character development, setting, and secondary characters to convey the importance of appreciation and to not “covet thy neighbor.” Mathilde would suffer much through her life as the result
…show more content…
The story begins in the setting of her home, her eyes lingered on, “… the poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains.” She was even aware of her unnecessary discontent, “All those things, of which another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and made her angry.” This demonstrates her materialistic desires although she has numerous advantages that others do not, even a peasant servant. She picked out every flaw she saw in her life and compared that to others. Mathilde failed to appreciate what she had and focused rather on what she lacked. She didn’t realize how blessed she was and continued to desire …show more content…
Loisel, knew of her passion for the finer things, so he provided the opportunity to attend a ball at the palace of Ministry. In this setting Mathilde was a different woman, a woman of a higher class. She uses all of her husband’s savings to buy a suitable gown and borrows a diamond necklace from a friend of hers, Madame Forestier, in order to play the part in the glamourous life. Decorated by the largesse of others:
The night of the ball arrived. Madame Loisel was a great success. She was prettier than any other woman…. She danced with rapture, with passion, intoxicated by pleasure… these awakened desires and of that sense of triumph which is so sweet to woman 's heart.
In this scene, Mathilde feels like her true self. A woman of higher ranks dazzling men and women with her presence. This will lead to the downfall of the Loisel’s as they will pay for this evening for ten years. Mathilde loses her friends diamond necklace, so she and her husband dedicate the next decade of their lives to paying for that transformative evening. Mathilde puts her desires before anyone else, she not only lost something of her friends, but her husband is the one who puts in the most effort to replace this
The story begins in the setting of her home, her eyes lingered on, “… the poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains.” She was even aware of her unnecessary discontent, “All those things, of which another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and made her angry.” This demonstrates her materialistic desires although she has numerous advantages that others do not, even a peasant servant. She picked out every flaw she saw in her life and compared that to others. Mathilde failed to appreciate what she had and focused rather on what she lacked. She didn’t realize how blessed she was and continued to desire …show more content…
Loisel, knew of her passion for the finer things, so he provided the opportunity to attend a ball at the palace of Ministry. In this setting Mathilde was a different woman, a woman of a higher class. She uses all of her husband’s savings to buy a suitable gown and borrows a diamond necklace from a friend of hers, Madame Forestier, in order to play the part in the glamourous life. Decorated by the largesse of others:
The night of the ball arrived. Madame Loisel was a great success. She was prettier than any other woman…. She danced with rapture, with passion, intoxicated by pleasure… these awakened desires and of that sense of triumph which is so sweet to woman 's heart.
In this scene, Mathilde feels like her true self. A woman of higher ranks dazzling men and women with her presence. This will lead to the downfall of the Loisel’s as they will pay for this evening for ten years. Mathilde loses her friends diamond necklace, so she and her husband dedicate the next decade of their lives to paying for that transformative evening. Mathilde puts her desires before anyone else, she not only lost something of her friends, but her husband is the one who puts in the most effort to replace this