Monday, December 21, 2015

Give a short description of all characters of "The Necklace," by Guy de Maupassant.

You may want to consider the necklace itself as an
understood protagonist, and the cause of the basic problem of the
story.


The necklace is not just a static nor plain object:
It is a symbol of the desperate want of Madame Loiselle for a better life, a higher
status, and the need for appearing successful to to the
world.


The necklace, as an understood "character" changes
throughout the story: At first, as readers, we think it is a gorgeous piece of art,
worthy of thousands of francs. In reality, the necklace has duped the reader as it duped
Madame Loiselle: It was nothing but a paste-based fake diamond piece of
jewelry.


Therefore, the object itself is representative of
what richness "appears to be": A world of glitz, glamour, shiny things and worthy of
admiration. Yet, as we find out that the necklace is a fake, so is the fantasy of
thinking that money can buy class, status, rank and, most importantly: happiness and
satisfaction.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comment on the setting and character of "The Fall of the House of Usher."How does setting act as a character?

Excellent observation, as it identifies how the settings of Poe's stories reflect the characters of their protagonists. Whet...