Irony in The Necklace
Have you ever made such a big mistake that you would do anything to cover it up? In Guy de Maupassant's short story, "The Necklace," he uses many instances of irony to demonstrate how excessive vanity can twist and distort the lives of those who focus too much on surface appearances. Some of these instances could include: being greedy and never having enough, falling into debt and spending the next ten years trying to recover their financial status, and finally telling the truth to Madame Forestier. This short story begins with a description of Madame Mathilde Loisel. Although she was gorgeous and charming, she and her husband, a clerk in the Ministry of Education, were not well off financially. She had always dreamed of a life of leisure, with attentive servants, and a large home. However, her lifestyle was decidedly more modest. Ashamed of her social standing, she stopped visiting Madame Jeanne Forestier, an old school friend who had become wealthy. In hopes of cheering Mathilde up, her husband Monsieur went out of his way to bring home a party invitation to an extravagant ball. However, instead of being delighted, she flung the invitation across the table because she didn't have the proper attire t
Soon the party came to an end and Mathilde dashed out of the ballroom embarrassed by her rags because everyone else had fancy fur coats. Monsieur returned with nothing, thus forcing them to make the hardest decision of their lives: replace the necklace for 36,000 francs or take the chance of telling Madame Forestier the truth. As a result, Mathilde was left to do all of their housework without the help of a maid while Monsieur kept his job and worked several evenings. After ten years, they were finally able to pay off all that they owe. " She danced ecstatically, drunken with pleasure, for she was finally getting the admiration and attention that she thought she deserved. If it weren't for her pride and arrogance, she and her husband would have never went into debt and spent ten years of their lives trying to pay it off. Angry, Monsieur Loisel suggested that she go ask Madame Forestier to lend her some jewels. She smiled on their way home, replaying her accomplishment over and over again in her mind. Heartbroken by his wife's rude comments, Monsieur reluctantly agreed to provide his wife 400 francs to go out and buy a dress that could be worn for any occasion. The evening soon approached and Madame Loisel was a huge success. Panicking, Monsieur went back out into the streets to search for the necklace while his wife sat comfortably in a chair, thinking of only herself and how she would ever repay Madame Forestier. Instead she wanted only materialistic things, something only money could buy.
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Acceptance Essays
