The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a short story written in eighteen eighty nine. The narrator, Madame Loisel, tells a tale of a necklace that she had to return ten years after it was originally purchased in the name of her husband. The events leading up to her having to give back the necklace are both ironic and tragic. [ The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, ” The Story of The” , Google Books] The story is set in France. The time it occurs in is after the Franco-Prussian War.
The period known as the Belle Epoque followed this war which was a golden age for Parisian society. The setting plays a significant role in the story because it gives a history to Madame Loisel and her husband. The time period is important because of how people lived during this period, as well as the mood surrounding France at the time. The backdrop also establishes a sense of foreshadowing throughout The Necklace . The stories mentions that all of Paris was decorated for celebrations of the return of peace.
The story gives the feeling that Madame Loisel’s life is rather insignificant within this historical context. The setting causes feelings of despair, because it implies that there are more important things in Paris than Madame Loisel and her husband . The author creates an ironic contrast between what Madame Loisel feels inside, and the reality surrounding her. The Necklace is not a typical love story. The reader slowly realizes that Madame Loisel’s life revolves around the necklace and not her husband, or even herself .
The irony in this short story makes it very special. The reader doesn’t know why Madame Loisel has gone through so much trouble for this necklace until near the end of the story. The situation becomes more clear as the story progresses, and Madame Loisel’s willingness to suffer for this possession comes into question. The irony of The Necklace is that Madame Loisel would have been better off without the necklace. The reader is left questioning whether or not it was worth all of the trouble she went through to keep it.
The last sentence of The Necklace leaves the readers to think deeply about Madame Loisel’s character. The events surrounding this short story are ironic by nature. The main irony in The Necklace occurs when Madame Loisel realizes that the necklace she borrowed was fake. She feels foolish after all of these years and even fails to recognize herself without it. The other big irony in The Necklace is when Madame Loisel and her husband argue because of the loss of the necklace. The readers see how much it means to them and all that they have gone through to keep it, but in reality it was nothing.
Irony is a literary technique in which the actual meaning of a word or spoken statement differs from what you would normally expect. The words that are spoken, the action of the characters and the actions of other people make for an interesting ironic twist in The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant. Madame Loisel’s necklace was ruined because she didn’t realize that the imitation diamonds she had borrowed from Madame Forestier were not real.
The irony here is that Madame Loisel would have been able to tell if the necklace was real because she could tell the difference between real and fake jewelry, yet she still wore it for a long period of time without knowing it was fake. The situation was ironic, but it could have been easily avoided if Madame Loisel had asked Madame Forestier what she had given her. The ending of The Necklace is also an example of situational irony. Madame Forestier tells Madame Loisel that the reason why they couldn’t find the necklace was because Madame Loisel never returned it and that she must now pay back ten times as much as the necklace was worth.
The actual ending to The Necklace is ironic because everything works out for Madame Loisel; shortly after falling into debt, she meets a rich gentleman with whom she falls in love and marries. The reader would expect things to end badly for Madame Loisel like most stories, but this story has a happy ending instead which makes it more ironic. The irony in The Necklace has made it an interesting story to read, and the irony is also why The Necklace is my favorite story by Guy De Maupassant.
The Necklace follows Madame Loisel, who has always had an affinity for the finer things in life. The story opens on a fateful night when she meets with Madame Forestier, wife of one of her husband’s co-workers. The two women quickly become friends and go out shopping one day where they come across a lovely necklace. The necklace is then gifted to Madame Loisel, but soon after she discovers that it is gone.
The tale follows her journey to replace the necklace and the truths about life revealed along the way. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a story of situational irony. The author employs a series of events throughout the story which come together in a climax of irony for Madame Loisel’s situation. The best example of this occurs when Mme Forestier gives Madame Loisel an expensive necklace as a gift for no reason other than generosity and friendship.
The very next day, Madame Forestier invites Madame Loisel on an outing where they come across some lovely earrings and bracelets just like those which had been lost. The women discuss how perfect it would be if Madame Loisel owned the same kind of jewels as they do. The Necklace is full of irony because Madame Forestier took up her husband’s suggestion to give the necklace as a gift to someone who will appreciate it more, but she never imagined that Mme Loisel would feel indebted to her and wish she had chosen something else instead.
The irony does not end there, however. The two women go out on an excursion where they come across beautiful earrings and bracelets exactly like those which had been lost, but though Madame Loisel thought she only wanted the necklace returned to make herself happy, when presented with these other items she exclaims “How I wish I could buy them! But I haven’t any money at all… I would have liked to surprise you too… The irony of the story is not only based upon how Madame Forestier gave away a necklace which was more expensive than anything Madame Loisel had ever owned, but also upon the fact that the original necklace has been replaced by a set of earrings and bracelets.
The two women discuss how nice it would be if Mme Loisel had some lovely jewels as well, but she cannot even afford them despite having an extra source of income from her husband’s raise. The end serves as a moral for the reader: always love what you have because there are greater things in life than material possessions.