In Aaron Corwin's "Brimstone and Marmalade," we meet Mathilde, a young girl on the cusp of maturity. Initially fixated on adopting a pony to fit in with her friends, Mathilde’s grandmother makes Mathilde prove that she’s mature enough to own a pony by making her take care of a demon. As a result, Mathilde is humiliated on several occasions, clearly failing to achieve the popularity she sought. Despite her initial reluctance, as the story progresses, she eventually comes to enjoy the demon’s presence, even insisting on getting another one after her previous one died due to exposure to daylight. Ultimately, Mathilde's developing maturity is shown in how she prioritizes her desires over social norms and defies societal expectations, ultimately leading to a newfound confidence and a deeper understanding of …show more content…
When her mother insists she can’t own a pony due to its extravagant price and suggests adopting a demon instead, Mathilde throws a tantrum, screaming, “‘I don’t want a demon!’” Mathilde stamped her foot. “‘Demons are ugly and creepy and they smell bad!’” This behavior shows Mathilde’s blatant disregard for her family's financial situation and opinions, prioritizing social norms over the well-being of her family. Additionally, Mathilde's response highlights her immaturity and lack of understanding about the consequences of her actions. Her focus on material possessions and status symbols indicates a shallow and superficial personality rather than one that values more meaningful connections and experiences. Even though Mathilde is clearly disgusted by the demon at the beginning of the story, she eventually grows to tolerate it. For example, the first major indication of Mathilde’s shifted attitude is her pride in introducing Ix’Thor to her friends during her birthday party. Upon showing her friends her new creature, they react in awe, curious to learn more about it. “‘Wow!’ Robby
To start off with, Mathilde had many conflicts she had to face during the story. First, she was poor and low in the social class. In the textbook it says, “she dressed plainly because she could not afford fine clothes.” She does not have money to buy new clothes because she is poor. Secondly, she got invited to the ball but had no evening clothes. “Only I don’t have an evening dress and therefore I can’t go to the affair.” Mathilde is poor and does not own an evening dress and can’t afford a dress she thinks she can’t go to the ball. Next, she has no jewelry to wear. . “It’s embarrassing not to have a jewel or gem-nothing to wear on my dress. I’ll look pauper.” She has no jewels or gems to go with her dress. Finally, she overcame many conflicts
In “The Necklace”, Mathilde feels she has been born into a family of unfavorable economic status. She’s so focused on what she doesn’t have. She forgets about her husband who treats her good. She gets too carried away being someone someone
He called her a ‘babe’. I could imagine Jeff calling me anything” (Wallace, 315). The difference between Anna and Mathilde is that Anna, though she recognizes these gender norms and conforms, she does not want to adhere to them. Whenever confronted with a gender norm, she tackles it the best she can, even rejecting the norms whenever possible. When Jeff attempts to mimic Chuck, Anna shuts him down.
Mathilde creates her own reality in which: “She let her mind dwell on the quiet vestibules, hung with Oriental tapestries, lighted by tall lamps of bronze, and on the two tall footmen in knee breeches who dozed in the large armchairs, made drowsy by the heat of the furnace. She let her mind dwell on the large parlors, decked with old silk, with their delicate furniture, supporting precious bric-a-brac, and on the coquettish little rooms, perfumed, prepared for the five o'clock chat with the most intimate friends, men well known and sought after, whose attentions all women envied and desired”(Maupassant 1). She hungers for the feeling of being rich and being noticed by other people, men in particular. This is one of the passages where her greed is brought to the attention of the
These images suggest hatred, and anger, they are powerful and present a strong, illustration of Medea’s persona. Like nature, Medea is constructed as commanding and yet also unpredictable; this consequentially creates uncertainty as to what she shall do next and thus intrigues the audience with her character. Parallels between Medea and wild animals are often drawn in order to portray her as wild and untamed. “Bullglares, lions claws” and “you hellhound, you tigress,” these comments serve to highlight Medea’s animalistic side, thus increasing her onstage presence and compelling persona. Medea’s two-fold personality is revealed through imagery of stone and harshness.
motivation and sadness. The Moor doll on the other hand, who is a very bold and vain
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.
Nana, Mathilde’s grandma and Mathilde enter the demon shop, and Mathilde expresses her disappointment and disgust towards getting a demon instead of a pony. Mathilde understands that devils have spikes, horns, and are arrogant in nature in contrast to ponies who have manes, fur, and are graceful. When the store clerk asks Mathilde what type of demon she wants, she responds, “I want the kind with the pretty eyes and the long, shiny mane!” (Corwin 1). Despite knowing she is getting a pony, and how the demons look, Mathilde still requests for a pony, illuminating her childish behavior through her pettiness.
Looking at Mathilde’s character is difficult because you can approach her from many angles. One could see her as simply a misguided soul, or as I have described her more self-centered and self-occupied. In any case the key to understanding Mathilde is, as I’ve said before, examining her childhood. I find it incredible that something that is not even a part of the story, on paper, is the driving force behind the main character and indeed, I believe, the plot.
Mathilde lives in an illusive world where her desires do not meet up to the reality of her life. She yearns for the status of being upper class, and she believes that her beauty and charm are worthy of much more. Mathilde spends her life doing everything in her power to create the dream life she has always imagined, to be beautiful, rich, and admired. Her husband provided her with a well-off lifestyle that she neglected and treated poorly due to her selfishness and greediness, and took advantage of his hard work at the first chance possible. When presented with the invitation to the party, she immediately rejects the request due to her fear of others judging her “middle class appearance”. But her loving husband offers her the hard earned money he had been saving up so she can treat herself to a brand new dress for the party. Her actions are centered around the happiness of herself, and have no good intentions towards her husband or
From the beginning of the story Mathilde seems to have a chip on her shoulder as if she has been done an injustice because of who she is married to. The time period, in which this story was set, the only way a women could move up the class scale was to marry a man who came from wealth. Ironically, Mme. Loisel’s husband is a clerk just like her father was. She longs to be rich. Her mind is concentrated on being in the social circle and living a life surrounded by everything that is fine and exclusive. She is greedy and unhappy with her modest but still quite tolerable lifestyle. It is illustrated beautifully in the passage where she describes her intolerable “worn out chairs” and “ugly curtains.” In the very next breath she speaks of her “little Breton peasant who does her humble house work” (Maupassant 178). When her husband comes upon the opportunity to go out for an evening to a ball, he assumes his wife would be overjoyed. Instead, she relishes in thoughts of looking poor among the rich. Try as he might there is no pleasing his deprived wife.
Hence the situational irony had taken place. First the original necklace was fake and all that pain of ten years could have been avoided. Secondly, Mathilde’s character had a turn around as in the beginning she was greedy but after the tragic events She is more self sufficient and does work to make money. And most importantly Mathilde did not divorce on Mousier and supported him and help herself pay up the debt. Ture characteristic of a person is not shown when he has everything but rather when he has
One could say that this is in fact enchanting enough, but if one were to analyze exactly what Mathilde is so infatu...
...aits about Mathilde that have been established. Her materialistic, unappreciative, and egotistical tendencies make it apparent that if the readers knew Mathilde personally, they could instantly pick-on her stuck-up ways. Psychologically, it is clear to the audience what is uncovered when it comes to Mathilde. The readers gain the understanding that she has major issues not only with herself, but everyone that comes across her path. She feels as if people owe her something. It is relevant that the audience learn the kind of person Mathilde really is. The reader’s point of view of Mathilde is not very understanding of her inconsiderate ways, and that is what Maupassant wanted readers to leave feeling.
In “The Necklace,” Mathilde’s internal struggle is with herself. She mentally battled with the physical and financial limitations placed on her, but more with her own soul. She was unhappy with her place in life and could not accept the simplicity of her station, believing it to be truly beneath her. “All those things… tortured her and made her angry. “ Her husband’s blatant acceptance of their place only fueled her frustrations further.