The necklace short story annotation. The Necklace Annotations blog.sigma-systems.com 2022-12-10
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"The Necklace" is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant in 1884. It tells the tale of a young woman named Mathilde Loisel who is unhappy with her social standing and longs for a more luxurious life. When she is given the opportunity to attend a fancy ball, she borrows a beautiful diamond necklace from a wealthy friend. However, the necklace is lost at the ball and Mathilde and her husband are forced to go into debt to replace it. The story ultimately ends with Mathilde and her husband working for years to pay off the debt, and Mathilde realizing that the necklace was only worth a fraction of the price she paid to replace it.
One of the main themes of "The Necklace" is the cost of material possessions and the desire for social status. Mathilde is unhappy with her simple life and longs for the finer things in life, leading her to borrow the necklace for the ball. However, her desire for material possessions ultimately leads to her financial ruin as she is forced to go into debt to replace the necklace. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting material possessions and social status dictate one's happiness and well-being.
Another theme in "The Necklace" is the consequences of greed and selfishness. Mathilde is only interested in borrowing the necklace for her own pleasure, and she is careless with it at the ball, leading to its loss. Her husband is also willing to go into debt to replace the necklace, even though they cannot afford it, in order to keep Mathilde happy. This self-serving behavior ultimately leads to their financial ruin and years of hard work to pay off the debt.
The character of Mathilde serves as a foil to her wealthy friend who lends her the necklace. While Mathilde is unhappy with her simple life and longs for material possessions, her friend is content with her wealth and has no desire for more. This contrast highlights the dangers of coveting material possessions and the importance of finding happiness within oneself, rather than seeking it through external means.
In conclusion, "The Necklace" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of materialism and the consequences of greed and selfishness. It serves as a reminder to be content with what one has and to not let external possessions and social status dictate one's happiness.
The Necklace Annotations blog.sigma-systems.com
When they finally return home, Mathilde is saddened that the night has ended. How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved! Was she the prettiest there? And her angling has been successful—she is greatly admired at the party, and all the men want to dance with her. The whole official world will be there. I will give you four hundred francs. Did you take his number? How much would it cost, a suitable dress, which you could use on other occasions, something very simple? They did not find it. She bore her part, however, with sudden heroism. At the party, Mathilde is the most beautiful woman in attendance, and everyone notices her.
Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs which his father had left him. Instead of being delighted, as her husband had hoped, she threw the invitation on the table crossly, muttering: "What do you wish me to do with that? So they begged the jeweler not to sell it for three days yet. He threw over her shoulders the wraps he had brought, the modest wraps of common life, the poverty of which contrasted with the elegance of the ball dress. Loisel, who had aged five years, declared: "We must consider how to replace that ornament. You brought it back. She waited all day, in the same condition of mad fear before this terrible calamity. She cannot afford high quality dresses and jewelry, yet she desperately yearns for.
Her husband said to her one evening: "What is the matter? As to him, he reflected that he must be at the ministry at ten o'clock that morning. But he said: "Very well. Her husband is upset by her reaction and asks how much a suitable dress would cost. By contrasting the appearances of Mathilde and Mme. In order to replace the necklace, M.
She had no marriage portion, no expectations, no means of getting known, understood, loved, and wedded by a man of wealth and distinction; and she let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education. One Sunday, while she is out for a walk, Mathilde spots Madame Forestier. Loisel returned at night with a hollow, pale face. What could be better? It looks very well to me. I would almost rather not go at all.
Natural fineness, instinct for what is elegant, suppleness of wit, are the sole hierarchy, and make from women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies. She fastened it around her throat, outside her high-necked dress, and remained lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself. In this passage, her happiness is absolute. She sat waiting on a chair in her ball dress, without strength to go to bed, overwhelmed, without fire, without a thought. Conclusion To conclude, this is a poignant story about the life of a woman who is at first oppressed by the unattainable fantasies that she has for herself, and then is oppressed by the poverty which results when she tries to make her fantasies into reality. And you, didn't you notice it? The day of the ball arrived. Natural ingenuity, instinct for what is elegant, a supple mind are their sole hierarchy, and often make of women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.
Finally, she replied, hesitatingly: "I don't know exactly, but I think I could manage it with four hundred francs. Every one wants to go; it is very select, and they are not giving many invitations to clerks. Monsieur Loisel works three jobs, and Mathilde spends all her time doing the heavy housework. That dreadful debt must be paid. All the men looked at her, asked her name, endeavored to be introduced. You brought it back. She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the wretched look of the walls, from the worn-out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains.
And they made a bargain that he should buy it back for thirty-four thousand francs in case they found the other one before the end of February. This quotation appears near the middle of the story, during the party, when Mathilde is happier than she had ever been or ever would be again. She imagined vast saloons hung with antique silks, exquisite pieces of furniture supporting priceless ornaments, and small, charming, perfumed rooms, created just for little parties of intimate friends, men who were famous and sought after, whose homage roused every other woman's envious longings. She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains. Loisel takes on a night job balancing accounts and copying documents. This is the moment for which she has been born.
Georges Ramponneau request the honor of M. She left the ball about four o'clock in the morning. She and her husband go into great debt to buy a replacement, living a life of great poverty for a decade to pay off the debt they incurred to do this. The first kind of oppression, in the first section of the short story, comes from within Matilda herself because of her unrealistic dreams and expectations for her life. Two great tears ran slowly from the corners of her eyes toward the corners of her mouth. She tried on the ornaments before the mirror, hesitated and could not make up her mind to part with them, to give them back.
She is very shallow and ungrateful for what she has Does her narrow mindset come from her background or how did she become like that? He borrows money from his friends and makes ruinous deals with moneylenders and loan sharks. Her insecurities come out and instead of being joyful like her husband had originally thought she became angry began to weep. . When they were in the street they did not find a carriage; and they began to look for one, shouting after the cabmen whom they saw passing by at a distance. The second kind of oppression, more concrete, comes in the second part of the story, where Matilda and her husband both have to give up what comforts they had to begin with in order to pay off the debt that they owe for the necklace.
