Research Paper on:
Short Story Analysis of Guy de Maupassant's 'The Necklace'

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
"The Necklace," we are given a very simple, yet powerful story of desire, of dreams, of disappointment, and of reality. In essence, it is a story about how the quest  for material wealth and station is not what it seems, presented to us through a very powerful picture of irony. It tells of how one woman longs, for her entire  life, to have material things and to live the grand life of the rich. She experiences this for one evening, enjoying the attention and the glamour. But, after this one  evening she spends the next ten years paying for the experience. This is a case of sheer irony and how believing what others possess is always better than what one  has. In the following paper we discuss the story in brief. We then present an examination of the irony, the themes, and the symbolism presented in Mauspassants story, thereby illustrating,  in the conclusion, how it is a story of irony where a woman realizes that the quest for material possessions is perhaps not as great a dream as she thought.  The Story The story is about Mathilde Loisel who is married to a minor bureaucrat. She "is a beautiful and captivating woman who despises her life and dreams of  wealth and social status. When she is finally invited to an elegant reception, she complains bitterly that she has nothing to wear" (Anonymous The Necklace necklace.htm). She purchases a  dress with money her husband has saved to buy a rifle for hunting. And, she borrows a necklace from a wealthy friend, believing it to be of diamonds. She is  a sensation at the party, but after the party she discovers that the necklace is missing. The couple borrow an enormous amount of money in order to buy a replacement.