Maupassant's Ability for Reality (Essay Sample)
nstructions
Your short Story is "The Diamond Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Quotes from 3 outside sources shouldn't be more than about 50 words.
Your interpretation should be based on careful, close reading of the text and your determination as to what the story really means. You should apply one of the approaches to interpretation that we studied in class to the story. Your approach to your interpretation should be ONE of the following:
Formalist: Show how the author's form, diction (word choice), and unity work together to create meaning (this includes symbolism, irony, etc).
Psychological: Discuss the role of archetypes or how the unconscious is used to develop the characters.
Marxist: Show how social, economic and/or political ideas influence the characters .
Feminist: Discuss the role of the female in the work.
New Historical Criticism: Show how the text reveals and comments on the different voices of the culture it depicts.
be a minimum of 1500 words without work cited page(about 4-5 full pages)
be in correct MLA format with an original title
have a clear thesis/focus statement that makes an argument about the meaning of the story you chose and predicts the organization of your argument (LO 1)
provide a strong analysis of the story using one of the five critical theories (LO 7 & 10)
be fully researched, using three credible outside sources that are published articles/books--NO WEB PAGES. Each source should be cited correctly in your Works Cited page (separate page at the end of your paper). (LO 8)
include carefully selected quotes from the story and each of the three outside sources to support your points. Sources should be correctly cited and integrated carefully into your argument. (LO 5)
be organized effectively and present a clear argument supporting your thesis (LO 2 & 4)
be well-written and engaging, including an interesting and thoughtful introduction and conclusion (LO 3 &6)
demonstrate careful editing, including correct grammar, mechanics, and usage (LO 9)
Introduction
When Mathilde is a middle-class Parisian woman whose dreams of great wealth and romance, "The Necklace" tells her story through the eyes of Mathilde. One of her most loyal and unglamorous husbands decides to throw an extravagant ball for her and buys two tickets for her and her date. As a result of her lack of clothing, she is irritable. As Loisel's story took place in Paris, France, the Education department and Loisel's area are highlighted. Mathilde's neighbor and friend, Madame Jeanne Forestier, and Housemaid, Mathilde's housemaid are only a few of Maupassant's literary characters, including a clerk in the Education ministry named Monsieur Loisel.
When she was born to artists' parents by coincidence, she was among the most beautiful young women. To avoid the pressure of marrying a man with clout and a good name, she agreed to be wed to a minor clerk inside the Ministry of Education. As a result, her tastes remained simple because Mathilde couldn't afford anything else, but she was just as wretched as she would have been if she had married a lower rank or class man. Slum girls are elevated to the level of the kingdom's most beautiful woman under their intrinsic sensitivity, intuitive elegance, and quick wit.
If the necklace is all it appears to be, that's fine. But it may be much more. Beautiful and sparkling, it gives the impression of great value. Despite its convincing façade, it turns out to be "fake." In other terms, it's a sham with no natural substance. Do you agree that this might be used in a wide range of situations?
The necklace, for example, is viewed as a symbol of "wealth" that is brilliant but ultimately false from the title itself. Mathilde's irrational desire is for jewelry, like her excessive want for money. Mathilde's false prosperity vision may be a metaphor for the necklace's deception at the novel's end. No matter how much money you have, it's not worth the pain and suffering that comes with it. In contrast, wealth appears to enhance Mme. Forestier's beauty, but poverty has a detrimental effect on Mathilde's.
It's possible that the connection between wealth and good looks is telling. For all its monetary significance, the necklace might also signify a society where appearances are everything. Since money can buy good looks, wealth falls under "appearance." Because of her lack of funds, Mathilde can't impress the people she wants to with her natural beauty and stunning good looks because of the state of her own shabby home. The jewelry is exquisite, and it lets her live out her fantasy of being a lady for a night. Although the necklace appears to be of great value, it is a counterfeit. This way reflects Mathilde's position in the group: she looks wealthy but is not. At the close of the day, she is still an attendant's wife dressed in a beautiful party gown and wearing borrowed jewelry.
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