The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant - Essay Example

and number Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story: The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant submitted The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant The short story written by Guy de Maupassant entitled “The Necklace” has been the subject of enumerable literary analysis due to the controversial nature of the plot and ironic tone. What apparently started as traditional straightforward short story using a universal theme of relentless wanting in the midst of poverty provided an unexpected ending to the readers’ surprise.

This short story would hereby be analyzed in terms of describing the theme and identifying at least two of the literary elements in the short story that contribute to the theme by providing an example of each element. Finally, the discourse would explain how the selected literary elements affect the narrative theme, as required. As indicated in chapter 7, the theme “is a representation of the idea behind the story… (It) tells you what the story is about” (Short Story: Theme and Symbolism, n.d., p. 108). For “The Necklace” the theme is therefore a story about discovering that wanting material things beyond what one could actually afford could bring incomprehensibly disastrous consequences.

This was discovered by the main character, Loisel Rampouneau, an ordinary wife of a clerk in the Department of Education, as her simple and austere life turned into remorsefully arduous journey. The literary elements that best contribute to the theme are the tone (defined as the “attitude reflected by the author in a literary work” (Short Story: Plot, Point of View, Tone, n.d., p. 87); and symbolism (“a literal identity but also stands for something else” (Short Story: Theme and Symbolism, n.d., p. 108). The tone of the short story is replete with situation irony as depicted by discovery that the diamond necklace borrowed from Mme.

Forester, the root cause of Loisel’s agony, was actually bogus or fake. Loisel could have then realized that she was actually first better off living a simple life despite its austerity than facing the need to pay off significant amounts of debt for replacing the borrowed necklace which got lost – only to find out in the end that it was not real. There is irony in being so proud that admitting to Mme. Forester that the necklace she borrowed got lost never even crossed her mind. She immediately surmised that Mme.

Forester would surely regard her as a thief and would rather cover up her mess than reveal the truth. Had she done this in the first place, she and her husband would not have been subjected to ten years of persistent hard work to pay-off the debts, used to buy a replacement for the lost necklace. The theme was also prominent when the occasion of the invitation to the ball presented ways of needing to dress according to the event. In meager status, Loisel insisted, beyond grasp, to project an image which is not her real and true identity, requiring her to buy a dress beyond their means and to borrow a jewelry to perfect the facade of elegance and sophistication.

The symbolism that dominated in the story was the title itself, the necklace. It symbolized richness, elegance, good bearing, and sophistication – everything that was not possessed by Loisel. By borrowing it, she envisioned to project that image that the necklace symbolized. Without her knowledge and awareness, jewelries could also be copied, faked or made from cheap but glittering materials. She assumed wrongly that just because her friend, Mme. Forester was rich, that she possesses genuinely exorbitant jewelries beyond her means.

Both elements: the tone and the symbolism contributed to the effectiveness of the theme through the establishment of appropriate attitude of the main character as desperate, lonely, wanting for material things. The first few paragraphs have assisted in setting the tone as the author noted: “she suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the worn walls, the abraded chairs, the ugliness of the stuffs” (de Maupassant, n.d., p. 140). Further, the author built the image of the character is dreaming of luxury: “she let her mind dwell on the quiet vestibules, hung with Oriental tapestries, lighted by tall lamps of bronze… she let her mind dwell on the large parlors, decked with old silk, with their delicate furniture, supporting precious bric-a-brac, and on the coquettish little rooms, perfumed, prepared for the five o’clock chat with the most intimate friends” (de Maupassant, n.d., p. 140). Eventually, the author emphasized that “she had no dresses, no jewelry, nothing.

And she loved nothing else; she felt herself made for that only. She would so much have liked to please, to be envied, to be seductive and sought after” (de Maupassant, n.d., p. 140). These narrative statements guided the readers in portraying the character as destitute and desperate for envy, to be sought after – which the invitation to the ball presented as the perfect opportunity to make her dream come true. The necklace, as a symbol, was equally effective in putting the reader in a reflective mood.

It is both a symbol of richness, elegance and beauty; but at the same time, the cause of agony, pain, defeat. It clearly enforced the theme that wanting material things beyond what one could actually afford could bring incomprehensibly disastrous consequences – especially for Loisel who eventually realized that the necklace was just a pretentious object that made her realize her lifelong dream but also led her to a longstanding misery. References de Maupassant, G. (n.d.). The Necklace. Chapter 5: Short Story: Plot, Point of View, Tone.

Chapter 7: Short Story: Theme and Symbolism.