Comparison The Necklace and The Gift of the Magi

             Some stories deal with love, greed, and envy. That is the case in The Gift of the Magi and The Necklace. The Necklace by Guy de Maupusant shows that some things one wants may not be the things that one needs and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry shows that some people will give up their most prized possessions for the one they love. Though they are about different people and different times, they do have things in common.
             Both of these stories revolve around married couples. Each of these couples are poor. The short stories give clues about their financial struggles. Maupassant tells the story from the wife's point of view. We learn that Mme Loisel was born into a poor family and because she had no dowry, she married a not so wealthy man. The author tells us that she "grieved incessantly" for the finer things that she could not afford. She was envious of others who had wealth. She was ashamed to visit a well to do school friend.Even though she does have a maid to do her housework, she feels that she lives in poverty. She was miserable. In O. Henry's tale, the couple's poverty is revealed by his description of their apartment and the furniture inside. The wife reveals that she has scrimped and saved by haggling with the food vendors but has only managed to save a few pennies after several months. Della was also miserable, but for a different reason. She was not unhappy for herself. She was unhappy because she only had $1.87 to buy her husband a present for Christmas.
             Both short stories provide us a small look at the husbands. Both men love their wives. M. Loisel demonstrates his love by getting an invitation to a fancy reception. He knew that she would want to be part of the "in crowd". He then gave her the money that he had save to buy himself a rifle so that she could buy a new dress. Later, he proved his love by borrowing the money needed to rep
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Comparison The Necklace and The Gift of the Magi. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 18:17, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/79763.html