An Honest Reader-Response to “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant
Before we get started, let me just state… I loved this story. *Now putting on my academic hat.* Read on…
My Reader Response: The Tragically Relatable Loisels
In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” my initial reaction, by the third paragraph, was to sense a subtle judgment from the narrator. Maupassant introduces a woman without naming her, implying that she represents many others. This technique prompts the reader to reflect on whether they might be one of these women. The character is depicted as shallow, entitled, and ungrateful towards her family. By the fourth paragraph, Maupassant contrasts her with her simple, contented husband, emphasizing her extravagant desires against his modest satisfaction.
The narrative centers on a husband unable to meet his wife’s insatiable desires. The joy Madame Loisel experiences from wearing the borrowed necklace, more intense than the happiness from her husband’s sacrifice of a hunting trip to buy her a dress, underscores her dissatisfaction.
I could empathize deeply with Madame Loisel’s pain and desperation, her embarrassment, and her yearning for a better life. She longs to transcend her impoverished status, feeling that her social position defines her worth. Ironically, her quest for…
