THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant: A Critique of Class-Consciousness DOCX

Title	THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant: A Critique of Class-Consciousness
Author	EA Gamini Fonseka
Pages	8
File Size	27 KB
File Type	DOCX
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THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant: A Critique of Class-Consciousness French writer of short stories and novels of the naturalist school Guy de Maupassant (1850- 1893) is by general agreement the greatest French short story writer. His genius rose from the sad, traumatic experiences he had as a child. His parents' marriage was a failure. They separated for good when Guy was 11 years old. Guy sided strongly with his mother, was a devoted son all his life, and, in spite of the help that he received from him, was markedly hostile to his father. The failure of the marriage left its mark on the son, as both man and writer. It explains Guy's fears of marriage and the frequent appearances in his stories of the ridiculous, persecuted husband. His apprenticeship under the great writer Gustave Flaubert and his association with Emile Zola, Ivan Turgenev, Edmond de Concourt, and Henry James contributed to his refnement as a writer. That resulted in his genuine achievement – the invention of a new, high-quality, commercial short story, which has something to ofer to all classes of readers. This short story, The Necklace, mirrors his understanding of the French society of his time. He manages to highlight the travails of life one entertains as a result of being class-conscious. That is why this topic claims that it is a critique of class-consciousness. Disparity between Madame Loisel's personality and her life Guy de Maupassant introduces Madame Loisel as "one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of artisans". According to him, she does not lack anything as a personality in terms of "natural delicacy", "instinctive elegance", and "nimbleness of wit" that could "put a slum girl on a level with the highest lady in the land". She is conscious of her beauty and is in the belief that with her personality she could be at the centre in any elite gathering. She seems to have had her education in a fashionable school where she met the wealthy Madame Forestier as a classmate. Her education has given her exposure to the fashions in vogue in the current elite of France. After leaving school, even on a limited scale, she seems to have been continuing her relationship with her school friends like Madame Forestier. Nevertheless she is always frustrated by her inability to support her ideas infuenced by their lifestyle. She does not have the material requisites to keep up with them. Her personality full of beauty, delicacy, elegance, and wit (that she later puts to test at the Minister's party) is alone not sufcient in "getting known, understood, loved, and wedded by a man of wealth and distinction". Sans marriage portion, "she let[s] herself be married of to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education" as a last resort. This is not a solution to her problem. She is still a poor woman. She realises that she is "married beneath her". As a fashion-conscious, self-important woman, she always tends to dream of the rich furniture, the classical architecture, the pleasant atmosphere, the warm and hearty social milieu, and the delicious meals that constitute the luxurious lifestyle of the current French elite. The accounts frequently made by the Breton servant girl of her experiences of such lovely places in her daily routine aggravate her frustration. This always makes her feel repulsion about living in her own situation. Regarding the poor quality of her house with its "mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains," she feels "tormented and insulted". The simple menus served at home, featured by...