The Necklace Essay

Vanity-"There are no grades of vanity, there are only grades of ability in concealing it"

Mark Twain (1835-1910), U.S. author, 1898.

In the story The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is about this women who learns a valuable lesson in life. Mathilde at the beginning of the story was an arrogant woman who did not appreciate the comforts of life that she had and did not realize how well her life was compared to the poorer people. However she has matured and has grown up by taking responsibility for her actions. She then realized that you must work hard to survive. Mathilde had finally realized at the end of her downfall that she did not need a high-class society life style all she needed was to be content with what she had. Only then could she find the happiness she desired. She matured because she realized that a high-class life style was not needed for her to be happy. Plus she found that to get what you want in life one has to work hard and earn what they desire. She also discovered that if you look inside one's self can find true happiness. This is why she has grown and matured through the story.

Mathilde has grown and matured by taking responsibility for her actions. She worked hard for ten years to help her husband pay off the dept from the necklace. One couldn't help but believe that due to this harrowing endeavor that Mathilde has learned from her mistakes. Mathilde has discovered with in herself that such things as elegance and finer things are all things you can live without. She also through her responsibilities of replacing the necklace learned that life is hard work and takes determination. Like when she worked hard to get themselves out of dept.

Mathilde can be content with her life after her ordeal now that she is more aware of the effort it takes to get ahead in life and to realize that there is more to life than mere possessions and labels. Mathilde now could find out that happiness comes in many forms and it is a hard life but love is the answer. Mathilde had some one to love her through the whole ordeal and stuck by her side. There is no doubt that it doesn't matter how much money you have it doesn't buy you love or happiness. One would infer that Mathilde could learn from her mistakes and be better off for them and realize what she had all along but was too ignorant to see it. Like when she was complaining about the way she lived.

Mathilde in this story with out a doubt recognized the fact that to find true happiness or the happiness one desired all one has to do is to look inside him or herself. One for the most part must realize that material possessions come and go but what is inside of them forever. Mathilde still may desire the finer life but may realize now that for her it is not a necessity. The fact is that Mathilde is no longer thinking of a high-class society as the only way to live. Like at the end when she was very poor, poorer than before. Also she did not complain like she did at the beginning of the story.

Mathilde through the story has no doubt matured and grown. To appreciate what meager possessions she has. Also Mathilde had found that true happiness is not of material items but what one can appreciate what one already has. Mathilde has taken responsibility for her actions, she has also found that she can be content with what she has and she also matured by realizing that happiness is appreciating what one has. This is why Mathilde has grown and matured through the story.8