Register to read the introduction…
In "The Necklace," Mathilde's lower-middle class position in society at the beginning of the story, along with her selfish and vain nature, directly cause her downfall. Because she feels that she was born into the wrong class, she becomes jealous of her wealthy friends and eventually causes herself to sink into an even lower class. In "Recitatif," the conflict between Roberta and Twyla is primarily caused by the two women's differing social classes. Roberta, with her chauffeured limousine and house in Annandale, is clearly a member of the upper class, while Twyla, who drives a station wagon and lives in Newburgh, belongs to the lower-middle class. The two struggle over this difference throughout the story, as illustrated by Roberta's poor treatment of Twyla at the Howard Johnson's. Society, too, struggles with the issue of class in this story, and Roberta and Twyla are sucked in to this larger struggle. They each take opposing sides in a battle over the issue of school bussing, and ,once, Twyla even finds herself surrounded by an angry mob. Twyla's neighborhood, too, is affected by this social movement. Twyla describes it by saying that," something quick was in the air. Magnificent old houses...were bought and renovated. Smart IBM people moved out of their suburbs back into the city and put shutters up and herb gardens in their backyards" (page 216). Here, she recognizes that this
…show more content…
These differences affect the ways in which these characters interact, they create the conflict in the story, and they affect the way the reader feels about and reacts to each of the characters. In making the issue of social class the focus of these two works, the authors successfully communicate to the readers their belief that, no matter how hard we might try to avoid it, class is indeed a major factor in today's society.
Works Cited
de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace." Understanding Fiction . third ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and
Robeert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72.
Morrison, Toni. "Recitatif." New Worlds of Literature: Writings from America's Many Cultures. second ed. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994.
These differences affect the ways in which these characters interact, they create the conflict in the story, and they affect the way the reader feels about and reacts to each of the characters. In making the issue of social class the focus of these two works, the authors successfully communicate to the readers their belief that, no matter how hard we might try to avoid it, class is indeed a major factor in today's society.
Works Cited
de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace." Understanding Fiction . third ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and
Robeert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72.
Morrison, Toni. "Recitatif." New Worlds of Literature: Writings from America's Many Cultures. second ed. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994.