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The Diamond Necklace, By Guy De Maupassant

Satisfactory Essays

“The Necklace”, by Guy de Maupassant, is about a middle-class woman who is ambitious but greedy and has a desire to get into the upper-class society through her husband who works as a government clerk and her friend but ends up horribly when she puts her life in vain. Throughout the story, the diamond necklace, the centerpiece of the story, is shown by the author to represent many themes. Maupassant focuses on the false impression on exterior look in “The Necklace”, along with the idea being too ambitious can lead to doom. While it is not explicitly stated, Maupassant wants the reader to think about the deception of appearance and further puts many hints in the story that relates back to his message. Mathilde’s mad fantasy to become the center of attraction proves us that every person will do what it takes to fake out their appearance just to get people’s approval. Mathilde is a middle-class woman who is unsatisfied with her current life. She is unhappy with her shabby house and her current situation disgusts her very much. However, Mathilde finds an opportunity to become something more than she wants to be when she is presented with an invitation to a local prestige ball, which her caring and persistent husband obtained for her. Mathilde also found a way to appear proper, sophisticated and wealthy among the guests at the ball by acquiring a gracious dress using not her own money, but all of her husband’s saving. Not only that, she also borrowed a stunning diamond necklace

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