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Essay on The Necklace

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"We want what we can't have": This renowned adage has been the cold reply of many parents to their sobbing children as they walk out of the toy store. At the time, the heartbroken children might not fully grasp the words of their parents, but as they grow up they will understand that the well known adage holds true to its meaning. Almost everybody has experienced this feeling, whether it is as young children or as wise adults. Examples of this noted proverb is evident both in print and on screen. Now, since this is the case with most people around the world, it is not difficult to see how this byword applies to Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace." Its protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, longing for a lavish lifestyle rather than …show more content…

She even contemplated how much money she could squeeze out of her husband without "drawing on herself an immediate refusal" (453, Maupassant, "The Necklace"). Her greed filled every aspect of her life and she ended up paying for it at the end. Another character trait of Mathilde is being unrealistic. Instead of focusing on the things in her own life and fulfilling her own obligations, she just stargazes about how her life could have been better if she lived a life of luxury. She constantly imagines a life filled with grandeur, of fine furnishings, and clothes. It is observable that she is not satisfied with her husband, and often dreams what life would have been like if she were married further up the social class. She yearns for a luxurious life that is highlighted with candlelight dinners, large rooms, and servants willing to meet her every need. Rather than trying to improve her lifestyle, she wastes her time imagining if she had taken a different path in life. She even wanted to go to parties and have "talks at five o'clock with intimate friends, with men famous and sought after…" (452, Maupassant, "The Necklace"). Even as she had supper with her husband, she couldn't help but dream about "dainty dinners [and] of shining silverware…" (452, Maupassant, "The Necklace").

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