The Necklace

Imagine getting invited to a party held by a prominent woman. Being poor, you have nothing to wear to such a formal event. After you buy a dress with the scarce money that you have, then you realize that there is no money left for a necklace or even some jewelry. To go to this party you must have a necklace, because everyone will have jewelry, at such an astonishing event. So, you borrow one from a friend. But, when you lose your friend’s marvelous necklace you are devastated. That is what happened in this short story. “ The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is the trajic mode of literature and an has an enormous symbol which is the nighttime.

First of all, the plot line helps prove that this story is the trajic mode of literature. To be invited to this party was a huge honor for Matilda, but when she doesn’t have a necklace her world is in conflict. Her rise to power was when she was able to borrow a necklace from her friend, to go with her dress. She was overjoyed to have such an exquisite dress and breathtaking necklace to go to the party, but she had one flaw. Being poor, Matilda didn’t have the impressive fur coats that everyone was putting on as it got colder, and she was embarrassed. She wanted to get away from there and she left so fast that she wouldn’t even wait for a cab. When she started running her husband exclaimed “wait let me call you a cab.”, but she kept running. While she was running, she didn’t notice that she lost her necklace, and that is the tragic fall. Lastly, the death symbolism is at the end of the book when she realizes that after ten years of paying for a new necklace that the necklace that she lost wasn’t real. Matilda’s friend said “Oh my poor Matilda, mine were false.”

The fact that it is nighttime when Matilda has her tragic fall and loses her necklace help prove that this story is the tragedy mode of literature. That is a characteristic of a tragedy story because the time of day is night. It is late when she realizes that she lost the necklace. The nighttime is a huge symbol in the story “the necklace" becuase it is dark and terrifying things can happen.

The story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is a heartbreaking story about a woman who doesn’t have much in her life. But, when she loses one of the most important things that she brought to the party; the necklace she is devastated. This short story is the tragedy mode of literature and one humongous symbol is the nighttime. The purpose of this story is always tell the truth because if Matilda would have told her friend that she lost the necklace then she wouldn’t have had to buy her a new necklace, and work for ten years.