I’ve always heard you never get a second chance to make first impression and, beauty is only skin deep. I will review and explore two literary stories, the authors and the times they were written in, to unravel their perversion of vanity; and how obsessive vanity can cause a person to have a distorted view on priorities. And finally, a comparison of how the viewpoints are similar. Briefly, I will state what most people over look, and that is, appearances are not the most important thing. You can appear well off, and not have much substance at all. “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov, is a story about love and admiration. Dmitri loved Anna because she seemed to be so much like himself for they are both in unhappy loveless marriages. I …show more content…
have interpreted this story as Dmitri meeting the love of his life but not able to have her completely as a display of Irony and suffering. I found the setting of the story to describe extreme romance. Places like the park, theater and train all seem to lay an intimate foundation. The display of infidelity that led these two to the realization that they could not have an open display of affection is what prolonged their suffering. I felt like Dmitri and Anna’s overwhelming desire to fit in to society standards and maintain the lives they had exhibit a great deal of pride in their appearance. Anna did not want to appear as any thing other than a “lady” with class and dignity. This shows a great deal of vanity. “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant is a story that focuses on the desire for social status and the suffering that came from the cost to live fabulous for a single day.
Maupassant delighted me with this story. I especially liked how he present the character Mathilde, she seemed to be extremely ungrateful with her mediocre life. She dreamed of wealth and fame and it seemed like nothing would please her. She focused so much on her desire to have social status that when she got the opportunity to go a social gathering with elite members of society, she would not go unless she had a fancy dress and fancy necklace. For one night, she felt like “somebody”. I found this story to display themes of gross vanity, irony and suffering. Because in the end Mathilde worked hard to replace the necklace that she presumed was real. She was never able to have another day of pleasure or go out to any other events. She made such a big deal of the one event, she lost herself in the feeling of being social accepted by a higher class in society. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize the similarities between the stories “the Lady with a Dog” by chekhov and “the Necklace” by Maupassant. These stories demonstrate Ideas of social class, iron, and suffering. Ultimately, I believe both stories show cases how a person’s vanity could lead to long suffering and
Misery.
...he protagonist struggle with self esteem. In The Necklace, the protagonist is struggling with her social status, which is that, she middle class and not upper class. But at the end of the story the protagonist realizes social status is only for show and not real life. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the protagonist is struggling with self esteem, because of masculine issues. He wants to be that dominant male but is henpecked to the point that he cannot do simple errands without being nagged by his wife. Guy de Maupassant and James Thurber used the techniques of irony and conflict to explore and view marital relationships.
Both Anton Chekhov and Joyce Oates chose to tell the story using a third-person narrator. This is one of the most important aspects of the characterization because if other characters were allowed to appear more within either story, the reader would have more than likely had a different view of their affair. For example, if Oates had allowed the reader to know Anna’s husband more intimately and definitely if the reader could read his thoughts, we may have seen the affair as dirty. We only see him trying to make love to her in an almost impersonal way. They never really cominicate, and his love for her is never shown with in the story, so the reader has no real reason to sympathize with him. Instead, Anna’s guilt seems sufficient, and her desire to be else where allows the reader to feels sorry for her and the fact that this love is what she perceives as her fate, we give her the sympathy and no longer see this affair as necessarily wrong.
In the short story “The Lady with the Pet Dog”, Anton Chekhov demonstrated a great ability in mood shift and presenting some of the most dynamic characters. One could argue both of the main characters undergo metamorphosis, but it seems clear that the male character undergoes the most radical transformation. In fact, Charles Stanion argues “One of the story's most impressive aspects is Dmitry Gurov's gradual metamorphosis” (402). Throughout the story, the reader witnesses the transformation of Gurov from treating Anna as a mere conquest to developing a true love for her. Chekhov’s short story is one characterized by many details that support this transformation. In this essay, I will prove how Gurov’s radical change parallels the complexity and precariousness human
Other details in the story also have a similar bearing on Mathilde’s character. For example, the story presents little detail about the party scene beyond the statement that Mathilde is a great “success” (7)—a judgment that shows her ability to shine if given the chance. After she and Loisel accept the fact that the necklace cannot be found, Maupassant includes details about the Parisian streets, about the visits to loan sharks, and about the jewelry shop in order to bring out Mathilde’s sense of honesty and pride as she “heroically” prepares to live her new life of poverty. Thus, in “The Necklace,” Maupassant uses setting to highlight Mathilde’s maladjustment, her needless misfortune, her loss of youth and beauty, and finally her growth as a responsible human being.
Anton Chekhov’s The Lady with the Pet Dog can be said to be one of the most controversial fictions in the way it explores the extramarital affairs and the mystery of love that plagues the 21st century families. Through the use of imaginary characters, Chekhov explores the theme of immorality and irresponsible behaviors among married couples who seek real satisfaction in secret yet intimate relationships with other married partners. Whereas the likes of Gurov pose as the spoilt seed of the collapsing society, other innocent seekers of real satisfaction such Anna Sergeyevna find themselves confused and dancing to the same tune of marital unfaithfulness. To some extent, the book can be labeled as immoral; however, if anyone understands the role of literature to be the society’s mirror, then the book’s readers can be persuaded to take it as a simple reflection of the social happenings.
In reading the short story The Lady With The Pet Dog by Anton Chekhov and A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin one can see key similarities of the two works. The short story by Anton Checkov deals with a man and a woman who are both married but regardless of this fact they fall in love with each other and have a secret affair. The short story by Kate Chopin deals with a married woman who is tempted to have an affair with one of her husbands friends, but she resist unlike the characters in The Lady With The Pet Dog. Both of the works deal with the fact that each of the characters are involved in committed relationships, but they are tempted to cheat in their relationships.
It is said that “everything that shines isn't gold.” A difficult situation can result a vast illusion that is not what one thought it would be, which leads to disappointment and despair. Just like Guy De Maupassant stories, “The Necklace” and “The Jewel.” In the first story, the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel’s need for materialistic fulfillment causes her hard labor which ends her natural beauty. In the second story, the husband Monsieur Latin ends up living a dreadful life due to the passing of his wife and her admiration for jewels. “The Necklace” and “The Jewel” both share many similarities such as the unconditional love each husband haves toward their wife, the necessity each wife haves towards materialistic greed, the beautiful allurement
Mathilde Loisel lived the life of a painfully distressed woman, who always believed herself worthy of living in the upper class. Although Mathilde was born into the average middle class family, she spent her time daydreaming of her destiny for more in life... especially when it came to her financial status. Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, tells a tale of a vain, narcissistic housewife who longed for the aristocratic lifestyle that she believed she was creditable for. In describing Mathilde’s self-serving, unappreciative, broken and fake human behaviors, de Maupassant incorporates the tragic irony that ultimately concludes in ruining her.
Fulford, Robert.“Surprised by love: Chekhov and ‘The Lady with the Dog’.” Queen’s Quarterly. n.d. Web. 17 November 2013.
Mathilde Loisel, the protagonist, is shown to be very vain, arrogant, and stubborn. This is presented to the reader through her immature pouting when she is offered the invitation to the ball but does not own a fancy dress or expensive jewels. As the story progresses it is revealed that Mme Loisel is a hard worker and that she doesn’t give up; this is displayed through her hard work both to find another version of the necklace she lost and to pay off the necklace over ten years. “The Necklace” is an excellent example of a story where the main character has both strengths and
Janwillem Van De Wetering says, “Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is never enough.” Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace” tells of Mrs. Mathilde Loisel’s longings for the finer things in life. Her desires are so intense she risks her husband’s affections, the friendship of an old chum, and even her mediocre lifestyle to pursue these cravings. One small decision based on an ill-placed desire causes a slow drawn out death of the spirit, body and relationships.
Around the world, values are expressed differently. Some people think that life is about the little things that make them happy. Others feel the opposite way and that expenses are the way to live. In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, he develops a character, Madame Loisel, who illustrates her different style of assessments. Madame Loisel, a beautiful woman, lives in a wonderful home with all the necessary supplies needed to live. However, she is very unhappy with her life. She feels she deserves a much more expensive and materialistic life than what she has. After pitying herself for not being the richest of her friends, she goes out and borrows a beautiful necklace from an ally. But as she misplaces the closest thing she has to the life she dreams of and not telling her friend about the mishap, she could have set herself aside from ten years of work. Through many literary devices, de Maupassant sends a message to value less substance articles so life can be spent wisely.
The author Guy De Maupassant ,in his story “The Neckalce”, has described beautifully how greed and deception can turn one’s life upside down. It has mainly depicted the uncertainty of human life Mathilda, a character built with rage, jealousy, dissatisfied with life but blessed with utmost physical beauty, had the constant pain of not having the lavish life like other pretty women. She thought of it as a mistake of destiny and blamed her fate. Although she had a loving husband, a comfortable home she was not content with it. Her desiration for wealth, status has jeopardized her life but in the end, it managed to put her into realization that wealth and beauty is not the source of true happiness.
Guy de Maupassant is a realist whose claim to fame is the style in which he conveys political and socioeconomic themes in his literary publications. He achieves his writing style by putting small unfortunate life events under a spotlight. His literary performance is described in his biography from Cambridge, the writer says “He exposes with piercing clarity the small tragedies and pathetic incidents of everyday life, taking a clear-sighted though pessimistic view of humanity” (Halsey, par. 1). Guy de Maupassant’s story The Necklace is a great representation of the style he uses. In The Necklace the main character Mathilde Loisel a beautiful but impoverished woman married to a clerk is in conflict with her lack of wealth and desire to acquire
"The Bear," which is a classic one-act play written 1900, is one of the great works of Anton Chekhov, which is very much about a widowed woman. The Bear can be regarded as a comedy since it is to give the audience entertainment and amusement. This comedy reveals the fine line between anger and passion. The theme is about a strange beginning of love between Mrs. Popov and Smirnov. It demonstrated that love changes all things it touches. Dialogue of the characters, the action of the characters, and the characters themselves shape the theme. Unbelievable actions and change in mood on the part of the characters show that love can sometimes come from an odd turn of events.