An excellent example of de Maupassant's satire can be found in his short story The Necklace. In the story, Mathilde constantly complains of being poor and feels she deserves more because she is so beautiful. She thinks she married below her, even though her husband has a good job, they have a nice home, and even have a servant. She borrows a necklace from her wealthy friend, loses it, and consequently ruins their lives when they are forced to replace it.
In the story, which I recommend you read, he is satirizing a few things. One is the wealthy, and how unaware they are of how lucky they are. Mathilde has a nice home, a loving husband, and a decent life, yet constantly complains of feeling poor. She has no idea what poor is until she loses the necklace and they replace it, putting them into poverty. After that she is forced to work, cook for herself, live in a small, dirty apartment and haggle for every penny at the market.
No comments:
Post a Comment