Reading

“The Necklace” ReviewThe Necklace is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant who is a popular 19th century French writer and is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story.The story takes place in a romantic nation,France and in the 19th century or so.It tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband Mr.Loisel.Mr.Loisel brings a converted dinner invitation home and Madame Mathilde Loisel is well prepared for the forthcoming evening party which she spends 400 francs on a gorgeous dress and borrows a superb diamond necklace from her friend,Madame Forestier.As expected,she becomes the center of attraction.Unfortunately,after the party,upon arriving home,Madame Loisel notices that the necklace is gone.In the decade,the cpuples life suffers drastic and radical changes.Guy de Maupassants portrayal of Mathilde is very realistic.It can be assumed by the reader that Mathilde is a vain and pretentious woman.She feels herself born for every delicacy and luxury.She loves clothes,jewels and feels that she is made for them.She has longed so eagerly to charm,to be desired,to be wildly attractive and sought after. She is self-centered,self-willed and ungrateful to her husband although he provides her with a furnished apartment, sufficient food and even a maid. The reader can get the sense when her husband goes through a lot of trouble to get her an invitation to the party at the ministry,instead of being thrilled as Mr.Loisel has expected,she acts like a spoiled child,throwing the invitation on the table and complaining that she has nothing to wear.Mathilde is so vain that if I were her husband,I wouldnt be docile and obedient to her no matter how much I love her.Contrasting to the pretentious and headstrong Mathilde who dreams of a wealthy,decadent lifestyle and doesnt want to achieve something valuable through her own efforts, Mr.Loisel is a conscientious man who is an average guy with an average job at the Ministry of Education as a clerk. He doesnt seem to be bothered by their basic yet comfortable lifestyle.Mr.Loisel is obviously excited the day that The Minister of Education had invited them to an exquisite dinner. Surely he thinks that this is finally a way that he could provide an outlet for Mathildes deepest desires.When Mathilde begins to cry about not having anything to wear. Of course Mr.Loisel suddenly feels into her trap and suddenly decides to give her all of the money in his savings account to buy her a new dress. Mr.Loisel makes such a huge financial sacrifice for her.He loves Mathilde so madly that like a parent spoils his child.It is also highlighted that after the party,Mr.Loisel thoughtfully tries to protect his wife from the cold weather with a shawl.One also learns from “The Necklace” about the theme is that how a persons social environment can and does shape that person. In the world that we as people all live in everyday, there is much chaos. Almost everyone has their own points of view, their own belief system and their own way of thinking. Most of which is determined by the environment, in which they have been raised and have lived in. The entire story of the Necklace is the epitome of illustrating how one social environment does affect their characters. At the beginning of the story, while Mathilde is financially ok, she is somewhat reserved, and much more of a hopeful dreamer. As time passes by, and she is forced to work hard to repay the debt that she has brought onto herself, she begins to lose sight of her dream, and eventually becomes full of spite and malice for what was once her dream. As she falls down the economic ladder, her environment changes, and with that, her personality, and character. The reader witnesses a transition from the optimistic dreamer to the pessimist, as her dreams become more and more distant. If she had begun at the very bottom where the story closes, and finished where she started, she may not have taken for granted what she had. Had Mathilde not spent so much of her life selfishly, she and Mr. Loisel could have had a lifetime of happiness.This story does indeed merit reading and comes highly recommended.The reader will enjoy Guy de Maupassants lively and realistic description of the characters,particularly Madame Mathilde Loisel.The theme of the effect of social env