The Diamond Necklace Literary Analysis Essay Example

“She would have liked so much to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after” (Maupassant 1). In the story “The Diamond Necklace”, Mathilde has found herself unsatisfied in her married life. Her husband is nothing but a clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction who can only supply Mathilde with so much. Mathilde's character is shaped by the setting of the story because, at her home, she is distressed because she is discontent with her house, at the ball she feels glamorous, because she feels that she is in all her glory, and after the ball, she is annoyed because her husband put a wrap on her that makes Mathilde feel like it takes away from her glory.

In the beginning, Mathilde feels distressed about her current living situation, because she dreams of a more lavish home. The author said, “She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the wretched look of the walls, from the worn-out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains” (Maupassant 1). This quote explains why Mathilde feels distressed at her own home because it's mediocre compared to her standards. She dreams of a home with “...delicate furniture carrying priceless curiosities,...tall bronze candelabra, and…silent antechambers hung with Oriental tapestry…”(Maupassant 1). Mathilde feels distressed in this setting because her middle-class home doesn’t live up to the standards she has.

At the ball, she feels that she is the most beautiful woman in the room. She's happy knowing that she is in all her glory in the ballroom. The author stated, “She danced with intoxication, with passion, made drunk by pleasure, forgetting all, in the triumph of her beauty in the glory of her success in a sort of cloud of happiness composed of all this homage…”(Maupassant 3). This quote shows how happy she is, knowing that she is the star in the room. This environment makes Mathilde happy because she's superficial. Mathilde wants to be seen as someone who is of high status and someone who is charming.

After the ball, Mathilde feels annoyed, because her husband puts a wrap on her that she automatically resents due to the fact she feels that it takes away from her glory and doesn’t want to be seen by wealthier women in an average coat. The author stated, “He threw over her shoulders the wraps which he had brought, modest wraps of common life, whose poverty contrasted with the elegance of the ball dress. She felt this and wanted to escape so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were enveloping themselves in costly furs” (Maupassant 3). The quote shows how annoyed Mathilde feels due to the fact she feels like the wrap takes away her glory of being this magnificent woman. The author said, “She removed the wraps, which covered her shoulders, before the glass, so as once more to see herself in all her glory” (Maupassant 3). The quote shows that Mathilde feels the basic wrap takes away from her as a glorious person because it's not luxurious as she wants it to be.

In summary, Mathilde's character depends on the setting because her mood changes. For example, at the ball, she felt glorious because she was the star of the room, and at her home, she felt dissatisfied, because she wished she had more.