Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story - Essay Example

In order to bring out the theme of a story clearly, the author uses the characters, action, setting and various elements of literature (Guerin, 2005). The Necklace applies irony to express the theme of poverty and social class in society. Mathilde is born in a family of employees, and the author describes her as a person with no choice of what she wanted. The author describes her as a person with no means of being known, loved, understood, or getting married to a rich man. The theme is enhanced by the fact that she was forced to get married to a little clerk working in the Education Ministry.

The title of the story, “The Necklace” creates a desire for the reader to know why the title was used. The necklace she borrowed, as the story continues, becomes the source of conflict in the story. The literary element of irony in the story has contributed greatly to the buildup of the theme in the story. There are various instances in the story where irony is evident. Mathilde thought of herself living in delicacy and luxury, but throughout the story, she has been depicted as a poor woman and wife.

Mathilde and her husband have been in debt for a period of ten years. This is after she lost her friend’s diamond necklace, which she had to pay. She came to learn later the necklace was not original diamond and she could have rather said the truth than buying a new one. She lived her life thinking of all the best things in life, which she admired, but did not have. She had a long-time rich friend whom she did not want to go and see anymore. This literary element of irony has enhanced the theme of poverty and social classes.

Mathilde could no longer visit her rich friend because of their differences in social class. Her friend was a rich person whereas she was extremely poor and always in distress. The author to depict the socially classified society of Parisian in the 1880s may have used this literary element of irony. When her husband comes home one day expecting to make his wife happy, Mathilde is angry. He comes with a card inviting them to a party at the ministry’s palace. However, Mathilde is not happy because she does not have a nice dress to wear.

She ends up compelling her husband to buy her a dress with the money he wanted to buy a gun. Mathilde is not satisfied with her status, but wants to look like the rest of the women. This instant of irony indicates how social class influences people in poverty. Use of characterization in the story has enhanced the portrayal of the theme of poverty and social class. The character of Mathilde is portrayed as a person who is not contented with what she has. She is always dreaming of having a nice and luxurious apartment, with rooms decorated with oriental tapestries and lightened by bronze lamps on the floor.

Her unsatisfactory character finally lands her in trouble after borrowing a diamond necklace from Forester. Mathilde is totally unsatisfied and unhappy with all she has and she is looking for material things throughout her life. Her character of always dreaming and desiring things she cannot afford made her to appear arrogant and stuck-up when she refuses to attend the party because she does not have a dress and the right jewelry. All this is set in Parisian, which creates the atmosphere of the story.

The setting enhances the theme of poverty and social class, which was rampant in the area of setting in the 1880s. Looking at the efforts of Loisel to please his