Literay Analysis of "The Necklace"

Greed has been taking over human beings since there was the human civilization. It is one of the main reasons our world is like it is today. Many of the past problems were caused by the humans nature of greed. Guy De Maupassant, the author of "The Necklace", perfectly shows how greed can lead to bad outcomes in the short story. Guy De Maupassant, one of the fathers of the short story, was born on August 5th 1850. A quote representing the legacy of Maupassant "French writer of short stories an novels of the naturalists school who is by general agreement the greatest french short story writers"(Bennet). In his short story, "The Necklace", Maupassant focuses mostly on greed. He portrays how greed will lead to a downfall in anyway, and that it changes people. In the beginning of the story, Mathilde grieves about how she deserves a better life and that she should be living the luxurious life. She finally gets invited to a Ball and is in need of a jewel that would falsely represent her wealth. Mathilde finally borrows a necklace, but loses it during the Ball, and spends years trying to build up the funds to replace the necklace. She is soon told that it was fake and worth nothing. Maupassant was trying to convey how the women's actions had a cruel effect on Maupassant's life. Guy De Maupassant develops his theme that greed can lead to a downfall in his short story "The Necklace" through the use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and setting.
In the short story, "The Necklace", the author uses foreshadowing to show that greed will lead to a downfall. Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. For example, when the necklace is lent. This foreshados that so...

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...es. Being humble, will help you become a better person and one might not face as many problems.

Works Cited

Brackett, Virginia. “The Necklace.” Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
“Maupassant, Guy de.” Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
“Maupassant, Guy De.” Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia (1996): 664. Literary Reference Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Maupassant, Guy De. The Necklace. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
May, Charles E. “The Necklace.” Magill’S Survey Of World Literature, Revised Edition (2009): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Smith, Christopher. “The Necklace: Overview.” Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.