The Gift Of The Magi And The Necklace Comparison Essay

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“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry have several similarities and differences. Both stories deal with possessions, greed, and giving, each having their own problems and solutions. However, the characters face their situations differently, and lead very different lives. “The Necklace” is mainly about greed. The main character wants to fit in and feel beautiful. She wants to impress others and look like she maintains a particular social status. However, her desire to be like everyone else leads to her own self destruction. She borrowed a diamond necklace from a close friend, and lost it. She then worked for ten years to repay her debt, and ended up paying for a real diamond necklace instead of an …show more content…

Both of the main characters have valuable possessions that they give up in the name of love for their partner. Della sells her long, beautiful hair for twenty dollars in addition to the dollar and eighty-seven cents she already had saved. Her husband, Jim, sells his family’s gold watch to buy her a present. Both of the stories make involve sacrifices and giving to another. In “The Necklace,” the main character sacrifices ten years of her life, along with her youth and beauty, to repay the debt of a lost, borrowed necklace. She gives her friend a real diamond necklace, and also gives up her freedom to spend money and live the “high-life.” In “The Gift of the Magi,” the main characters sacrifice their most valuable possession for the other. They gave up their precious asset to buy a meaningful gift for Christmas. After reading “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, the reader learns that pride can destroy a person. The main character is very prideful, and feels that she is far above her circumstances, and her husband. She is unhappy with the life she lives, and despises that she is forced to live by her common birth. This shows the reader that a person should be happy with what they own. The main character is also greedy and unsatisfied. She constantly yearns for more than she has, and her greed led to her debt and

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