The necklace

            
            
             After reading the short story "The Necklace" it is apparent to me that the author is trying to convey a message to the reader regarding the importance of self identity. Madame Loisel, the main character in the story, was concerned with what other people thought of her. She was interested in appearing rich and she was not concerned with the importance of her internal values. Another point that stuck me as genus on the behalf of the author was the parallel between the authenticity of the necklace and the authenticity of Madame Laisel's personality. Both entities were fake. The main character was putting on a fake personality for her peers and the jewelry was equally not real. Because the author used this technique, I thought it to be all the more powerful when she realized that the jewelry was indeed a fake. Another point that I noticed was the author trying to convey to the reader the theme that all should be happy with their achieved social status and beware of the evils of pride. .
             As seen in the literature, the idea of striving for high social status and money above all else will be a person's downfall. This idea is exemplified in the story of "The Necklace," where Madame Loisel's sole purpose is to reach a higher social status than that of which she has already achieved. She is not content with where she is socially and economically, therefore, she discards who she really is to be seen as a woman of higher wealth at a party. She thinks it to be "humiliating- (De Maupassant,) for her "to look poor among other women who are rich."(De Maupassant,) Madame Loisel's personality is outlined in this one line of text. She casts aside all sense of reason to assure that she is properly dressed and accessorized appropriately. Her notion to appear wealthy did not work out as she had planned and she ended up paying dearly for it. Because she was so concerned with money and social status, she lost sight of herself and everything she had financially.