Guy De Maupassant Short Story Analysis

1159 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Current biographies of guy de maupassant

Guy de Maupassant, one of the best short story writers in French history is popular for painting an alluring view of the French life in the 19th century. “Born on August 5th, 1850, he is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story as well as one of its fines practitioners” (American Literature). Maupassant started of his career studying law before volunteering for the Franco Prussian war in 1869. “Following the war mentored by Flaubert, Maupassant went on to write one of the greatest stories, “Boule de Suif” (“Ball of Fat”) in 1880 which immediately distinguished the young writer” (History). Before dying in an insane asylum due to syphilis contracted when he was in his twenties, Maupassant left the world with major works like A Life (1883), The Rondoli Sisters (1884) and Le Horla (1887). In 1884 Maupassant published one of his greatest stories- The Necklace. The main theme of the story is to value human feelings and emotions and be content with what one already has rather than materialistic possessions.
Mathilde Loisel, an over ambitious beautiful lady is discontent with her life and what she already has although she has been provided for all the happiness in life. She is unhappy with
The story starts off showing Mathilde Loisel’s feeling for her house which is old with worn walls, abraded chairs and ugly belongings. Culture appears in this story in the form of Mathilde Loisel’s desire to be a part of the upper class and the riches she wants to possess (Laurie) . Everyone from a lower class has a desire to move up to the upper class and live a life of comfort. The way Mathilde wants to portray herself during the invitation shows how one wants to portray themselves in front of others with beautiful dresses and fine jewelry. It also shows through Monsieur how the clerks were working hard to get noticed by their

Show More
Related

  • 'Civil Peace And The Thrill Of The Chase'

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    This essay will include “The Necklace”, “Civil Peace”, and “The Thrill of the Chase”. The necklace is a great example of how our desires can create tragedy rather than happiness. Madame Forestier would have rather been idolized for her wealth instead of buying items that grant her survival. She says,”It’s just that I have no evening dress and so I can’t go to the party.”

    Read More

  • An Adventure in Paris by Guy De Maupassant

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    ​The central characters, setting, and tone of the story help create the central idea of the psychological and internal desires of a woman. Through the view of the central characters it is established that the lawyer’s wife wants more than her average day and is searching for more to life than the daily routine of a house wife. Jean Varin is believed to be the desire she is looking for; however, she is not fulfilled or happy with the outcome of her choices. The setting and the tone reveal the psychological need for the wife to have an adventurous, lavish, and opulent lifestyle that she feels can only be achieved in Paris.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Greed In The Necklace

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Use of Setting to Reflect Main Character in "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    Details about the modest apartment of the Loisels on the Street of Martyrs indicate Mathilde’s peevish lack of adjustment to life. Though everything is serviceable, she is unhappy with the “drab” walls, “threadbare” furniture, and “ugly” curtains (5). She has domestic help, but she wants more servants than the simple country girl who does the household chores in the apartment. Her embarrassment and dissatisfaction are shown by details of her irregularly cleaned tablecloth and the plain and inelegant beef stew that her husband adores. Even her best theater dress, which is appropriate for apartment life but which is inappropriate for more wealthy surroundings, makes her unhappy. All these details of the apartment establish that Mathilde’s major trait at the story’s beginning is maladjustment. She therefore seems unpleasant and unsympathetic.

    Read More

  • Situational Irony In The Necklace By Guy De Maupassant

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Guy de Maupassant’s story, The Necklace, he utilizes situational irony in order to highlight the theme. He displays this irony in order to reveal several themes that can be observed in the story. One of the major themes in this short story is how appearances can be misleading.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of The Lady With The Dog Chekhov

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Necklace, by Guy de Maupassant

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    Values are spread all around the world, and many people’s values differ. These can lead to people being judged, or indirectly characterized by other people. In “The Necklace” Mme. Loisel is a beautiful woman with a decent life, and a husband that loves her, and only wants to make her happy. She is not rich but she makes it along, she insists of a better, wealthier life. When her husband gets her invited to a ball, she feels the need for a brand new fancy dress and tons of jewelry. When the couple realizes they cannot afford jewelry as well, they search out to borrow her friend, Mme. Forestiers’ necklace. She comes to notice she no longer has the necklace on when she leaves the ball. This later troubles her, as she has to work for a long time to collect enough money to buy a new necklace. This story describes the relationship between a couple, who have different dreams, and how desires can revamp your life. Guy de Maupassant, the author of “The Necklace” uses literary devices to prove people come before materialistic items.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Guy De Maupassant's The Necklace

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Relating the Setting to the Characters in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    Mathilde marries Mr. Loisel, a minor clerk in the Ministry of Education. She becomes unhappy with the way she has to live. "She suffered because of her grim apartment with its drab walls, threadbare furniture, ugly curtains." (paragraph 3). She owns cheap belongings and still dreams of being rich and having gourmet food while her husband likes plain things and seems rather happy for where he is in life. She dreams these wonderful and expensive things and it frustrates her. A dream come true happens but instead of being happy she is upset and even more frustrated.

    Read More

  • The Necklace, by Guy de Maupassant

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Values are spread all around the world, and many people’s values differ. These can lead to people being judged, or indirectly characterized by other people. In “The Necklace” Mme. Loisel is a beautiful woman with a decent life, and a husband that loves her, and only wants to make her happy. She is not rich but she makes it along, she insists of a better, wealthier life. When her husband gets her invited to a ball, she feels the need for a brand new fancy dress and tons of jewelry. When the couple realizes they cannot afford jewelry as well, they search out to borrow her friend, Mme. Forestiers’ necklace. She comes to notice she no longer has the necklace on when she leaves the ball. This later troubles her, as she has to work for a long time to collect enough money to buy a new necklace. This story describes the relationship between a couple, who have different dreams, and how desires can revamp your life. Guy de Maupassant, the author of “The Necklace” uses literary devices to prove people come before materialistic items.

    Read More

  • The Necklace

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Realism In Guy De Maupassant's 'The Necklace'

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Analysis of Guy de Maupassant's Two Friends

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    We all have a place that we like to go to relax. For some, it is a quiet place and a good book to read. Others may enjoy spending quality time with friends and family. Guy de Maupassant enjoyed being near water. Maupassant “was a passionate lover of the sea and of rivers” (“Guy de Maupassant”). In his short story “Two Friends”, distant friends run into each other and decide to relive a peaceful activity they once shared: fishing. Maupassant’s love of the water influenced the content of this story. If the reader looks carefully, they can see several parts of the story that may have been influenced by the author’s life and views. Maupassant’s short story “Two Friends” is an allegory about his view of the ideal Frenchman because Maupassant portrayed the main characters as patriotic, brave, and opposed to war.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Story Of An Hour And The Necklace

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mathilde Loisel suffers from her middle-class lifestyle. "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after." (Maupassant, p. 36) It is clear that Mathilde is envious of her reach friend, Madame Forestier and would trade places with her if only she had the chance, but unfortunately she is stuck with her clerk husband in their middle-class apartment.

    Read More

  • The Moral of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

    441 Words  | 1 Pages

    Mathilde Loisel grew up in the working class and had no expectations in life. Mathilde settled for a lifestyle she was unhappy with. When she got married, she and her husband would sit around the dinner table and imagine they were eating a luxurious meal. Together, they had nothing. Mathilde had no clothes, no jewels, and only one friend (who was rich). Mathilde dreamt of wealth, fine clothes, and a beautiful house. She knew that those dreams were unrealistic and unattainable.

    Read More

More about Guy De Maupassant Short Story Analysis

Open Document