"The Necklace": The Development Of Irony

Part I of Essay
Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is situational irony written in 1884. The story was written in a time when there were very distinct social classes primarily determined by one's birth. It is about a woman who can not come to terms with her position in the middle class. ....

Part II of Essay
.... her the envy of all other women" (4). What she fails to realize is that these daydreams only make her more dissatisfied with her real life. As a result, she becomes more focused on what she does not have rather than what she does have. Contributing to the irony is the borrowed necklace. Matilde's husband brings a coveted dinner invitation home, and her first reaction is concern for appearances. She tells her husband that they can not possibly go because she has "nothing to wear" (5). Her husband agrees to buy her a new dress. This ....