Essay Draft 3
The Prevalent Value Decides Everything
In the 1960s, in France, the class consciousness was prevalent; the whole French society was organized on a class basis. It was hard for a person born into a lower-class family to move into the upper-class. Even when a man chose a wife, the fortune of the girl was his only criteria.
In Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace, Mathilde was just the victim of the class consciousness. Mathilde was beautiful, elegant, she dreamed of luxurious life, however, she could only marry to an economical clerk rather than any distinguished man, because her poor family background. She borrowed a necklace from her friend, just to satisfy her vanity in a party. However, she lost the necklace. So she paid ten years' hard work for the one-night long glory, for the necklace, thus losing her beauty, her elegance. But, at last, the necklace turned out to be false.
What was Guy de Maupassant’s purpose of writing The Necklace? Some readers think: Maupassant wanted to show how life is strange and changeful, and how helpless people are in front of the fate. Others think: Maupassant wanted to criticize Mathilde’s vanity. However, in my opinion, the main purpose of Maupassant in writing the story was to criticize the money worship of the society.
Why Maupassant’s purpose was not to criticize Mathilde’s vanity? It is instinct for a person to try to gain other’s respect and appreciation. At that time, in France, money and social status were everything. Without these, respect and appreciation were just unrealistic dreams. Mathilde just pursued other’s appreciation in the way that was prevalent in the whole society. Is there anything wrong for Mathilde to do so? No! Also, in the end of the story, we can see Maupassant’s appreciation of Mathilde’s courage to afford the debt and hard work. When Mathilde told her friend the fact about the necklace, she “smiled with a joy which was proud and naïve at once. (P. 44)”
Many readers think: Maupassant wanted to show how life is strange and changeful, and how helpless people are in front of the fate. However, if Mathilde was born into a society in which people did not judge everything from money, she should have the chance to pursue her dreamed life, and became another Cinderella, rather than compromise to the reality.
Then, I will demonstrate why Maupassant’s purpose was to criticize the money worship of the society.
What caused Mathildes’s tragedy? ----The class consciousness. At the beginning of The Necklace, Maupassant just showed his attitude. “She had no dowry, no expectations, no means of being known, understood, loved, wedded by any rich and distinguished man; and she let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction. (P.38)” If the French at that time had not judged everything from money, even when a man chose a wife, Mathilde may have the chance to pursue her dreamed life.
There are many other evidences. A single necklace which many rich women wore to attend parties, cost the couple 10 years’ hard work, plus the entire heritage from their parents. When Mathilde’s husband suggested wearing roses on her neck, Mathilde said:” No, there’s nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other women who are rich (P.40).” Woman’s jewel, such a little thing perfectly reflects the snobbery of the whole society.
Mathilde’s friend, Mme.Forstier’s attitude toward Mathild also gave us some clue. When Mathilde returned the necklace to her friend, Mme.Forstier said with a chilly manner:” You should have returned it sooner”. After ten years, Mathilde met Mme.Forestier again. When Mathilde spoke to her friend, Mme.Forestier felt astonished to be familiarly addressed by the plain good wife, and even stammered (P.44). Maybe, at that time, there was no true friendship, what really matters was just money and social status. If Mathilde was born into a rich family, wedded by a distinguished man, her friend would not have treated her in this way.
Maupassant’s experience may also give us some clue. Maupassant once worked as a civil servant from his twenties to his death. He fully understood the hardship of the lower-class. So, it is quite understandable that Maupassant wrote the story to show his discontent with the money worship and class consciousness of the society.
We are all ordinary people. Mostly, we dare not fight against the society’s prevalent value. Genius like Nietzsche and Van Gogh are very rare. So it was with Mathilde. The prevalent value in France at that time decided Mathilde’s tragedy. And Maupassant showed his discontentment with the prevalent value of the society through this tragedy.
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