Guy De Maupassant’s “ The Jewelry” is a short story set in late 19th century France. After reading the first page of the story it seemed to be to be a love story, chronicling the marriage of a young lady and her husband. As the story develops the story becomes interesting. It makes the reader think about how humans think and what they value most important: love or money. The story centralized around money and love and how they wouldn’t go hand in hand. For example, Lantin loved his wife dearly, but he made just enough to take care of them. After the young lady’s death and Lantin received the lump sum of money he remarried and was unhappy. The young lady, I believe, had the biggest struggle. She received gifts from an admirer, but could not
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Certain parts of the story were more believable than others. For example, in the story the narrator states, “The young girl seemed to be the very ideal of that pure good woman to whom every young man dreams of entrusting his future.”(Maupassant 67) Around this time for France wealth, beauty, reputation were major characteristics that factored in the marriage procedure. According to History department at the University of Kentucky, “People generally married within their socio-economic class and with someone from the same region.” The narrator mentions that the husband, M. Lantin, has a yearly salary of 3,500 francs; which, is equivalent to $30,000 to $40,000 in today’s market. The young woman has no money, moderate beauty, and good heart; M. Lantin is the probably the best she could do, so this part of the story is believable. The part I found unbelievable was centered on the young girl’s jewelry collection. The narrator states, “she wore necklaces of false pearls, bracelets of false gold, and haircombs studded with paste-imitations of precious stones,” letting the reader know that she wears false jewelry. Her husband, who is a chief clerk in an important office, hates the fact that she wears it and would rather her wear her natural beauty. From this the reader can gather that the husband assumes it is false jewelry, which we find out later in the story that the jewelry is real, because of her love of the theatre and the fact that he could not afford it on his salary and that the young woman tells him that it is. The part that is unbelievable that fact the jewelry seems fake. I can understand someone mistaking fake jewelry for real jewelry, but mistaking real jewelry for “tinsel and show” seems farfetched. The author’s description of the jewelry made it sound real. For example, “and then she would roll the pearls of the necklaces between her fingers, and
Certain parts of the story were more believable than others. For example, in the story the narrator states, “The young girl seemed to be the very ideal of that pure good woman to whom every young man dreams of entrusting his future.”(Maupassant 67) Around this time for France wealth, beauty, reputation were major characteristics that factored in the marriage procedure. According to History department at the University of Kentucky, “People generally married within their socio-economic class and with someone from the same region.” The narrator mentions that the husband, M. Lantin, has a yearly salary of 3,500 francs; which, is equivalent to $30,000 to $40,000 in today’s market. The young woman has no money, moderate beauty, and good heart; M. Lantin is the probably the best she could do, so this part of the story is believable. The part I found unbelievable was centered on the young girl’s jewelry collection. The narrator states, “she wore necklaces of false pearls, bracelets of false gold, and haircombs studded with paste-imitations of precious stones,” letting the reader know that she wears false jewelry. Her husband, who is a chief clerk in an important office, hates the fact that she wears it and would rather her wear her natural beauty. From this the reader can gather that the husband assumes it is false jewelry, which we find out later in the story that the jewelry is real, because of her love of the theatre and the fact that he could not afford it on his salary and that the young woman tells him that it is. The part that is unbelievable that fact the jewelry seems fake. I can understand someone mistaking fake jewelry for real jewelry, but mistaking real jewelry for “tinsel and show” seems farfetched. The author’s description of the jewelry made it sound real. For example, “and then she would roll the pearls of the necklaces between her fingers, and