Anna Grace Holloway

Ms. Menard
Honors English 7 - Period 6
September 30th
A Necklace Made of Irony

Approving of ones self and advancing your self love is something

everyone hassles with at times. There is no exemption to this theme in the
short story The Necklace, by Guy De Maupassant. Irony weaves the lesson
of self acceptance into this story through situational, dramatic, and verbal
irony. Situational irony greatly endows to presenting the theme of self
approval. The narrator says ... those pretty charming young ladies, born, as
though an error of destiny ..., acknowledging how Matilda felt she
deserved to be born a higher caste. In life, your familys wealth usually
elects where one lies in the grand scale of things (Maupassant 52). Dramatic
irony also helps to demonstrate a theme of self love. This is shown when Mr.
Loisel says ... to write your friend that you have broken the clasp of the
necklace (Maupassant 38). So many people often think that buying time
alleviates burden; it instead just puts them deeper into the hole they're
digging. The guilt from doing so eats away at someone, making them
unpleased with themselves. Its more facile for everyone if they just tell the
truth. Matilda is inadvertently making things more for herself. This theme
of self acceptance is also revealed through verbal irony. This is proven when
Mrs. Loisel says What do you suppose I want with that? (Maupassant 54).
When in reality, she craves more than anything to live a luxurious life. When

someone doesnt feel worthy of an activity, their self doubt discourages

them from enlisting - and that surely happens here. Learning to have faith
in ones self is never easy, but everyone can learn through a good lesson in
knowing what you can and cannot change in life.