Introduction
Literature is one of the most popular and sought-after types of art, and there are many good reasons. Hundreds of years ago, writers raised works themes that are essential for human life and the functioning of society. Thus, even in the works of ancient Greek writers, modern readers can find thoughts relevant in the 21st century.
One of the striking examples of works that touch on a topic that is vital for modern people is The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant. This story was written in the 19th century, but it remains relevant to this day. The situation described in this work seems possible now, and the main character is similar to many modern women. The main themes of this story are wealth, the pursuit of social status, and the illusions that people use to achieve them.
After reading this work, readers can conclude that often people strive to create the appearance of wealth and prosperity by all means. However, first, these illusions are often based on lies and are easily revealed, and second, such behavior can often lead to harmful consequences and even destroy one’s life.
Storyline
The title of the work makes the reader understand that the main plot unfolds around one object: a necklace. The author describes the main character, Mathilde, and her husband. This family cannot be called rich, but Mathilde wants to feel her importance, so she lends her friend an expensive and beautiful necklace and goes to a secular meeting. There she feels successful and beautiful but later finds out that the jewelry is lost. She has to find a similar one and buy it for a vast amount of money to return it to her friend.
These costs ruin the life of her family: most of their property goes to pay for the jewelry. Mathilde and her husband live in poverty, which affects not only external factors such as housing but also her character itself. Mathilde becomes “dull” and loses all her will to live. Having met her friend after many years, Mathilde finds out that the lost necklace was fake and cost much less than she put into it.
The Main Character of the Story
Mathilde is a very bright character, endowed with clear and conspicuous features. Maupassant puts in her previously noted human vices: the desire for wealth and the will to show her social status. Undoubtedly, it is crucial for each person to feel significant in a group of people, but the main question is at what cost this goal is achieved. Mathilde herself seems to be a good person, a kind and decent wife, and a beautiful woman. However, realizing all her positive qualities, she feels that she should have applied them somewhere else and had a much higher social status. This torments her throughout her life, and a loving husband and a calm life do not bring her pleasure.
Undoubtedly, the ability to get at least some opportunity to get into high society and show off their excites Mathilde. She accepts an invitation that her husband got for her, although she is worried about her appearance. Her main desire in this situation was to show everyone how beautiful and rich she is. One of the possibilities to prove this is the jewelry she took from her friend. In addition, she buys a new dress for the money that her husband was going to spend on a gun. So, her image consists of things that she really should not have. The beautiful appearance of Mathilde at the party is just an illusion, under which, nevertheless, there is a lovely woman.
Feeling the taste of wealth, Mathilde can never become the same. Until the end of her days, she recalls that evening, when she shocked everyone with her appearance. She dreams of such events occurring as often as possible and suffers from the impossibility of this. So, due to following his illusions, Mathilde loses everything. However, was it worth paying with all her life for a few hours spent with high social status? After all, Mathilde and her husband had to sell everything they could and lead an even more miserable life than before.
Ten years spent this way left an indelible mark on Mathilde’s character and appearance. This way, Maupassant shows readers how destructive greed can be. However, Shubham assumes that “after ten years of hard work, she learned to be diligent and thrifty, learned to work hard, become down-to-earth and has a calm mind” (p. 649). Thanks to this, readers can understand that the real nature of people is hidden not in what they own, but in what they are.
Main Ideas of the Story
One of the main ideas of the novel is the desire of people for high social status and wealth. Challenges and problems that Mathilde experiences exist across the globe; hence, people must identify what is available and appreciate it to gain adequate satisfaction (Irawan 3). Undoubtedly, some people were born rich or earned money with long and hard work. It can especially be noticed this now in the field of art and information technology. Owners of the largest technology companies and famous singers or actors are the wealthiest people on the planet. However, to achieve their social status, they had come a long way, so their status seems justified.
Modern people, like Mathilde, often only try to create an illusion of possessing a high social position. Now they are much helped by social networks to create a beautiful image of themselves that has little resemblance to reality. As a consequence, the perception of the world by people is largely based on fiction, which is not always a positive trend (Uche and Mbah, p. 86).
This is the main problem of such people: if the status is deserved by hard work, then it remains with the person, but the status based on lies easily collapses. These illusions can be misleading even to those who create them. Such people eventually begin to believe in their wealth and status, which affects their characters. This makes them behave arrogantly and presumptuously, belittling the dignity of other people, although in reality, they did not deserve the opportunity to behave like that. Thus, thanks to The Necklace, readers have a chance to realize the need to distinguish real social status from illusory and strive to be honest.
Another important idea that Maupassant considers is human desires and the problems associated with them. Indeed, the human brain continually demands to achieve new goals and receive new rewards. Undoubtedly, this mechanism is useful in many fields, for example, work, study, or sports. However, often human desires can be chaotic and even partly destructive. Such desires include, for example, food, alcohol, or money.
In moderation, this all has a neutral effect on people and can even be beneficial. However, excessive desire for these objects leads to disastrous consequences: obesity, alcoholism, or theft. Indeed, sometimes the outcome of following one’s withes is a feeling of never being content (Levine, p. 517). Unfortunately, nowadays, people note this mood much more often than before.
Thus, in The Necklace, Mathilde had a strong desire, which did not correspond with her real life. To achieve her goal, she experienced a high level of stress, thinking about how she would look and where to get funds to create the illusion of status. In addition, the consequences of fulfilling Mathilde’s wish had obvious destructive effects. Showing this, Maupassant tells readers that what they want may not always be the truly correct goal to achieve. In order not to fall into such situations, people should have the strength to assess the possible consequences of their actions. Indeed, sometimes people have to sacrifice some of their desires and needs, but looking back, they can make sure that this is correct.
Conclusion
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a striking example of a literary work that has not lost its relevance for a century and a half. This suggests that fundamental human problems remain unchanged throughout the entire existence of humankind. Despite its small size, the story is serious and instructive. Sheikh argues that “this simple story on the surface level illustrates the working of the complex psyche of an individual understanding and also highlights the tragedy created by human’s over-ambition” (p. 183). With careful reading and detailed analysis, readers can find there many vital ideas and make some positive changes in their worldview. This will allow them to avoid mistakes such as the one made by the main character, and concentrate on more critical and pressing issues.
Works Cited
- Irawan, Bambang. “Three Dimensional Aspect of a Main Character Mathilde in Guy De Maupassant’s the Necklace.” Morphosis: Journal of Literature, vol. 1, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-10.
- Levine, William, et al. “The Effect of Spoilers on the Enjoyment of Short Stories.” Discourse Processes, vol. 53, no. 7, 2016, pp. 513-531.
- Sheikh, Sana Mariyam. “The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant: A Study of Women in 19th Century France.” The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, vol. 3, no. 4, 2015, pp. 183-185.
- Uche, Nnyagu, and Victor C. Mbah. “Maupassant’s The Necklace as a Fictional Means of Assuaging the Illusions of Life: The Woman’s Perspective.” Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 9, 2018, pp. 86-94.
- Yadav, Shubham. “Character Analysis of ‘Mathilde Loisel’in the Maupassant’s “The Necklace”.” International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS), vol. 4, no. 3, 2019, pp. 647-649.