The Necklaces Essay Example for Free

The Necklaces EssayMotifsCovetingThroughout The Necklace, Mathilde covets everything that other people have and she does not. Whereas Monsieur Loisel happily looks forward to having blistering soup for dinner, Mathilde thinks only of the grandness of other homes and lavish table settings that she does not take in. When Monsieur Loisel obtains an invitation for a party, she covets a unseasoned dress so that she can look as fair as the other wives as intimately as jewelry so that she does not look poor in comparison to them. She is so parsimonious of Madame Forestiers wealth that she cannot bear to visit her, but she overcomes her angst when she needs to borrow jewelry for the party there, her coveting is before long sated because she gets to take one of the ornaments home with her. After the party, she covets the fur coats the other women are wearing, which highlight the shabbiness of her own wraps. This endless coveting ultimately leads to Mathildes downfall and, along th e way, yields only fleeting happiness. It is so persistent, however, that it takes on a life of its ownMathildes coveting is as much a part of her life as breathing.SymbolsThe NecklaceThe necklace, beautiful but worthless, represents the power of perception and the split between appearances and existence. Mathilde borrows the necklace because she wants to give the appearance of being wealthy Madame Forestier does not tell her up front that the necklace is fake, perhaps because she, too, wants to give the illusion of being wealthier than she actually is. Because Mathilde is so greedy of Madame Forestier and believes her to be wealthy, she never doubts the necklaces authenticityshe expects diamonds, so diamonds are what she perceives. She enters willingly and unknowingly into this deception, and her complete touch sensation in her borrowed wealth allows her to convey an appearance of wealth to others. Because she believes herself rich for one night, she becomes rich in others eyes. The item that the necklace is at the center of the deception that leads to Mathildes downfall suggests that only trouble can come from denying the reality of ones situation.