How Does Maupassant Use Realism In The Necklace

In the short story 'the Necklace' Guy de Maupassant employs the use of literary realism for his readers to understand his view on social hierarchy in France during the 1900s. Maupassant achieves this by making several references to everyday, mundane activities; and the allure of Paris's aristocracy. Maupassant uses an abundance of linguistic techniques which often make the theme ofthe Necklace; a contrast between an enchanting lifestyle to a common life of the middle class. Maupassant uses this to make it seem as if the stories of daily life and the struggles that come with it are sometimes more meaningful than grander stories of dragons and princesses. The fact of the matter is that Maupassant adapts his writing for his readers desires. The Necklace was written during the post–romantic era, when common folk wanted to believe, and to read that they weren't the only ones who yearned for precious, materialistic objects and the acceptance of those above them (the noblemen and aristocrats'). In this essay I shall illustrate how the writer uses literary realism in his short story to manipulate his ideas towards the reader. Firstly, in the exposition of the Necklace Maupassant sets the scene of the story and lets the readers learn a little about the characters background, he uses literary realism to make the character feel common and relatable to the readers, he makes Madame Loisel (the main character) seem ordinary as Maupassant withhold mentioning her name; "She was one of

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Literary

Analysis Essay of 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant

'The Necklace' is a morality tale written by Guy de Maupassant where he portrays the life of a beautiful but dissatisfied girl named Mathilde who desires to live a luxurious life despite being born into a clerk's family and marrying a clerk too. Mathilde's discontentment in life instigates her to pretend someone rich that she is not. Moreover, it leads her to severe trouble that caused ten years of hardship to Mathilde and her husband. So, this suffering is a punishment for Mathilde which taught her a lesson and changed her dramatically over the course of the story by making her a person of completely different personality for whom appearances...show more content...

But later in the story her discontentment caused her to terrible problem and sealed her fate. The necklace of Madame Forestier has been lost. It is her discontent that caused her to borrow the necklace which she lost. But it is an irony of fate that Mathilde and her husband faced 10 years of hardship for nothing but a fake necklace which cost "at most only five hundred francs." (6) For this necklace they repaid a debt of "thirty–six thousand francs." (5) If Mathilde and her husband had admitted to Madame Forestier about the truth of losing the necklace then the consequences would have been different and they would have avoided the hardship. This relates with another morality of the story which is to tell the truth. Thereafter, by learning a lesson from her doings there was a great transformation in Mathilde's character from beginning to end of the story. After giving the diamond necklace to Forrestier she knew they have to live a "horrible" (5) life "of the needy." (5) . Thus "with sudden heroism" (5) she decided to repay the debt taken for that necklace and "dismissed their servant, changed their lodgings and rented a garret under the roof." (5) The woman who valued her youth and beauty the most lost it and became the woman of "impoverished household–strong and hard and rough." (5) But sometimes she

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