Introduction
The Necklace is a philosophical short story by Guy De Maupassant written in the third person limited point of view. The story narrates the life of a charming yet over-ambitious woman, Mathilde Loiselle. The poorness of Mathilde’s home and clothes brings her sadness, anguish, despair, and intense disappointment for a significant part of her life. Therefore, to join the higher society, Mathilde makes irrational decisions that negatively affect her and her husband, Monsieur Loisel. The story has essential social themes such as gender, beauty, philosophy of happiness, and others. Being born into a bourgeois family and knowing the truth behind the lives of the rich, De Maupassant probably disguised people willing to enter the higher society. Mathilde’s story is not just the author’s depiction but also a social statement about the reality of the world where he lives. Guy De Maupassant wrote The Necklace to show the reader the problem of social status and the harsher truths of struggling lower and middle-class caste in society.
Discussion
The problem of social status is represented through the inequality of choosing a desired marriage partner. For example, Mathilde has limited marriage prospects because she belongs to the middle-class caste since the social establishments technically restrict interactions between different social strata (De Maupassant 1). They are bound to marry exclusively within the community caste and work in low-earning jobs such as sewage cleaners (Vallabhaneni 365). So despite Mathilde’s youthful, charming, and beautiful appearance, her social status prevents her from marrying the man of her dreams. Therefore, she marries Monsieur Loisel, a clerk in the Ministry of Education who hails from the same caste as hers. Since they cannot satisfy each other’s illusions about marriage, they suffer and lose any joy in life, which could have been prevented if Mathilde and Monsieur Loisel married their true subjects of affection. Guy De Maupassant was a person whose parents divorced regardless of shame in the higher social class, which is why the topic of marriage is personal to the author. He observed the violence and struggles of wealthy people’s married life, consequently becoming disappointed in the idea of marriage. This might have been the reason why he wrote the piece.
The Necklace might probably be an event from Guy De Maupassant’s life depicted in the form of the short story. He worked as a clerk in the Navy Department, just like Monsieur Loisel, and thus it can be assumed that he wrote the piece to tell his personal story. He did not only represent ideas about marriage but also about the middle class being disadvantaged by opportunities given to the wealthy that he observed during work. For instance, he wrote about the Ministry Ball event that is reserved for the selected few elites, thus making it impossible for people from the middle caste, such as Monsieur Loisel, to secure an invitation (De Maupassant 3). The struggles of middle-class society might have caused empathy from De Maupassant which is why he decided to publish the story about the reality of time when he lived.
Conclusion
In summary, the social status gap challenge exists in contemporary society in different contexts, such as schooling, health, governance, employment, religion, and marriage. Social class discrimination in India leads to social disabilities in lower castes, such as the Dalits. Guy De Maupassant observed the social status gap as a significant challenge within society and used the main characters’ experiences, Mathilde and Monsieur Loisel, to criticize these social constructs. The author’s work can be used to highlight critical issues that can be addressed to elevate social or economic equality.
Works Cited
De Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace. East Of the Web, pp. 1–10, 1984
Vallabhaneni, Madhusudana Rao. “INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM: HISTORICAL AND PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEWS. ” The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, vol 75, no. 4, 2015, pp. 361-381. Web.