The Necklace :: Character analysis, Loisel

In the short story â€Å"The Necklace†, the main character, Loisel, is a woman who dreams of greater things in her life. She is married to a poor clerk who tries his best to make her happy no matter what. In an attempt to try to bring happiness to his wife, he manages to get two invitations to a very classy ball, but even in light of this Loisel is still unhappy. Even when she gets a new dress she is still unhappy. This lasts until her husband suggests she borrows some jewelry from a friend, and upon doing so she is finally happy. Once the ball is over, and they reach home, Loisel has the horrible realization that she has lost the necklace, and after ten years of hard labor and suffering, they pay off debts incurred to get a replacement. The central idea of this story is how something small can have a life changing effect on our and others life’s. This idea is presented through internal and external conflicts, third person omniscient point of view, and the round-dynamic character of Loisel. The third person limited omniscient point-of-view is prevalent throughout this short story in the way that the author lets the reader only see into the main character’s thoughts. Loisel is revealed to the reader as being unhappy with her life and wishing for fancier things. â€Å"She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries.† (de Maupassant 887) When her husband tries to fancy things up, â€Å"she thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry which peopled the walls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (de Maupassant 887) As the story goes on her point of view changes, as she â€Å"now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover all of a sudden, with heroism.† (de Maupassant 891) Having the accountability to know that the â€Å"dreadful debt must be paid.† (de Maupassant 891 ) This point-of-view is used to help the reader gain more insight to how Loisel’s whole mindset is changed throughout her struggle to pay off their debts. Maupassant only reveals the thoughts and feelings of these this main character leaving all the others as flat characters. Loisel is a round-dynamic character in that Maupassant shows how she thought she was born in the wrong â€Å"station†. â€Å"She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as though she had really fallen from her proper station.