Choice And Consequence In The Path We Choose - Essay Example

Choice And Consequence In The Path We Choose In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, the poem assumes a symbolic journey which fully acknowledges that life is practically a matter of choice whereas in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Diamond Necklace”, the short story can be observed in detail Madame Loisel as a character who faces conflict in the absence of choice. Guy de Maupassant’s presentation of Mathilde appears to be one of constant struggle with tragic fate from the beginning of the story up to its regretful ending. Frost’s poetic approach in “The Road Not Taken” depicts wise reflections toward sensible choices for a man whereas Maupassant's short story of the young woman's married status illustrates the failure to discern even the freedom to contemplate on choices due to self-reproach. “The Road Not Taken” is a poem of regular pattern and exact measure in form while “The Diamond Necklace” assumes a short story narrative. While Maupassant is gender-specific with his story in developing the intended moral, Frost takes the form that demonstrates an argument to be responded to regardless of sex, race, and socioeconomic status which are otherwise taken into account in studying Mathilde's disposition. Apparently, Robert’s poem whose less figurative theme bears much equivalence to that of Guy’s short story may be claimed to have required profound thought in demonstrating the major concept with brief details to work on. It occurs subtly imperative or that which aims to command the reader toward prompt response whereas the author’s approach in “The Diamond Necklace” leaves no further action to consider but an attainment if there be a most enlightened realization. Being a poem which Frost chooses to preserve with a necessary degree of compactness, “The Road Not Taken” likely allows a reader to cut into a trance of imagining “two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” By the effect of the first line preceded by the title invites one to adapt to the common sensibility of comparing and contrasting between two of life’s ultimate choices. To Maupassant’s demonstration of conflict, however, the absence of a choosing character with firm and mature attitude seemingly enables “The Diamond Necklace” to take the short story form in which the author invests upon the luxury of explaining how the condition of the irresolute woman renders her to constitute the image of incapability of evaluating the problem for which fitting alternatives may work. Whether right or wrong, the poet clearly indicates the necessity to eliminate ambiguity or half-heartedness on stating “And sorry I could not travel both.” “And be one traveler, long I stood” marks a position that suggests freedom of thought in which the traveler can opt to liberate either inspiration or unpleasant sentiments at wondering how it would be like having each road to cover, given equally opportune possibilities. Where the two diverged roads are ever present in Frost’s ability and freedom to seek and analyze options, the opposing character of Mathilde seems as if bound to be governed by a burden of conscience. By becoming a slave of guilty feeling, the choice to be flexible to choose a course of action toward proper resolution is lost. Maupassant likely utilizes the poor quality of living the couple manage themselves to get by with to show how difficult it could get to account for alternatives from which to draw hope and favor. Since Madame Loisel and her husband are deeply buried in crisis, they would rather act on the impulse to address the current situation and judge the choice to meditate as unnecessary or a trifle. Frost’s idealistic approach in “The Road Not Taken” hints at certain wonders where one road lets the person in the journey to delight in psychologically concretizing every form of goodness. This goodness may reside in the acquisition of material desires for real, on perceiving truth from out of noble ambitions, or with remarkable pleasures that actual love and comfortable living could hold out. Maupassant, on the contrary, seeks to exude realism in the behavior of a character within a specific society so as to allow readers to learn not through an idealistic exhibition but by traveling with disillusionment as the story proceeds up to the end where the element of surprise fulfills the morale. The short story bears the style of striving to engage senses in the wholeness of a concrete reality instead of prevailing with a romanticized version of taking risks which the poem is well identified with. The other road ‘less traveled', on the contrary, characterizes the exact opposites as it depicts sufferings or hardships which humans would most often prefer to get rid of. Because it was ‘grassy' and ‘wanted wear' likely points to the attribute of such road with passers in the rare count to none which justifies the personification in the road's plea of wanting to wear as it would probably not as long as it is less opted for. ‘Grassy', equivalently, gives indication to the plainness of this road that it appears somewhat dull or lifeless to those who would rather seek to tread upon paths of exquisite colors, further alluding that the environmental and corporeal aspects of the road make great significance for they determine the vivid elements or factors that affect the basic nature of man who normally understands, yearns, and judges based on instincts. Frost then leads the critic to observe that a natural man, despite moral reasons, is quite inseparable from his senses when deciding whether or not to stay with earthly matters. As applied to the case of Mathilde, the road less traveled is taken right away as if the consequences were foreseen have already been engaged to acceptance that she finds no point of suffering otherwise yet if only she had told her friend of the incident, she just might be surprised at the twist and turn of fate. When at last, she is through paying for the replacement of the diamond necklace that is missing ten years ago, and for the time being is sufficiently confident to confront her friend Madame Jeanne Forestier by divulging to her what exactly took place, Madame Loisel is thus in a deserving position to fit herself in the pride of admitting her share of Frost’s “I took the one less traveled by”. For indeed, it is such a noble undertaking to have made a consistent decision to punish oneself by paying an immensely dear price secretly than to afford to break a friend's heart on confessing the loss of something enormously precious due to neglect. Because Mathilde has not been able to forgive herself but relishes the anxiety until salvation is granted them after dues are completely settled, such act of nobility on her part is an indication of willful submission to a destiny which others would surely think twice for or leave behind. While “I took the one less traveled by” has become famous for the principle of making a typical righteous decision, at depth, the poet is discovered to render his creation under some degree of irony. Since he necessitates having the man in himself look “down one as far as I could” in the first stanza and “Then took the other, as just as fair” on the second inferentially proceeding with “Had worn them really about the same”, Frost has by this time already established the heart of discerning that the endeavor of taking one road is no less significant than taking the other which diverges from it. As it turns out, “Somewhere ages and ages hence”, even as the single traveler does not obtain any relevant experience of the alternative path, after a long-term analysis by examining the lives that have walked or been through it, the ‘road not taken' provides the same advantage as its counterpart. To some extent, Madame Loisel may find herself ‘worn out just the same’ on obtaining resolve by a different path but not like Frost’s broad-minded character in the poem, she lacks the trait of taking a moment to assess what has been accomplished. She is the type who would only dare stop to examine things once told or encouraged to do so after the other party is able to help clear her mind of shameful recollections upon declaring “We must consider how to replace that ornament.” Given their impoverished condition and an exceedingly kind friend who would probably understand and support her appalling situation, Mathilde must have every choice to excuse herself from going to great lengths and put herself in a gradual and thoughtful process of settling her debts for anyway, humans by nature are weak. With lost charms, negative outlook, and exhausted physique, ages of confinement to the goal of redeeming the lost necklace have really made her wear and become severely drained of youth which would not have happened if a choice to think of checking the real worth and authenticity of the diamond is made along the way. Based on style, one may recognize that the compactness of Frost’s poem leads for it to achieve an idealistic tone while Maupassant’s “The Diamond Necklace” conceptualizes around psychological realism. Noting how realistically and vividly portrayed the dilemma of the young wife and her fortitude in meeting the challenge of extricating herself from a desperate circumstance, the author specifies the main character with conspicuous distinction from the rest as opposed to Frost’s more general rendition of the traveler. Moreover, the consequences of the choice made in de Maupassant’s short story are revealed except for the reactions that should follow in the story’s latter portion. “The Road Not Taken”, however, merely presents a useful philosophy about making choices and the expectations and scenarios which may come with it without detailing any particular consequences yielded at. It is as if, in the end, all that counts besides the choice made is the way to which it is dealt in the long run. By ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way', Frost accepts the challenge of keeping the struggle and moving forward with it as he follows up saying ‘I doubted if I should ever come back.' No matter what the decision to carry on with the chosen road entails, the anticipated ends are still subject to the actions taken and the consistent faith with the blameless deeds regardless if the person maintains good or poor living standards. Following the short story's rendition in the drama that initiates a conversation between Mathilde and Cecile, nevertheless, it may be noted that Mme. Forestier well plays a role which establishes a progressive impact upon Mme. Loisel's ordeal with discontent and bitterness. No matter how subtly expressed, her severe criticism of Mathilde saying “You deserve better, Mathilde, a woman as beautiful as you” indicates her becoming a major factor for her friend to get all the more engrossed on finding security in material things. Due to this initial presence of Cecile prior to Mathilde's attendance of the elite ball, there already comes evidence of the acute struggle in the response of the less fortunate madam. Adhering to the burden of the richer lady’s condescending judgment, Mme. Loisel unconsciously turns ignorant from seeking the benefit of freedom to think and make a choice to acknowledge life’s essential facts. Unlike Frost’s lonely traveler who has embarked on a trip with a sense of freedom, Maupassant executes around not being capable of breaking through the barriers built on slavery to the perceptions of society which greatly influence the decision whether to regard choices or something else. Consequently, with the choice made and the means employed to keep such choice collectively shape the foundation to what Frost pertains to as ‘that’ which ‘has made all the difference.’ Similarly, in reality, distinguishing between major life-transforming options may come vague or uneasy but by learning to live with each decision until conflicts are resolved, life can be cherished to the full measure along as the journey of ‘ups and downs’ goes under variable pace over a road that may also vary in form and texture, creating impact to strengthen a character. Perhaps by portraying life according to his excruciating encounters with reality does Maupassant justify Madame Loisel as a married woman whose series of misfortunes cause her to have a narrow view of life. Robert Frost, on the other hand, subjects such narrow view to defiance and creates instead a world where he could avail of options and take time to use his intellect over the choices represented by diverged paths. References Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia (2009).  Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Edition. 6th ed. Longman. De Maupassant, G. (2010). The Necklace. Plays - The Drama Magazine for Young People, 69(4), 21-30. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” PoemHunter.com. Retrieved from on September 24, 2011. De Maupassant, Guy. “The Diamond Necklace.” The Literature Network. Jalic Inc. Retrieved from on September 25, 2011. Hinrichsen, L. (2008). A Defensive Eye: Anxiety, Fear and Form in the Poetry of Robert Frost. In Journal of Modern Literature (pp. 44-57). Indiana University Press. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Read More