Mathilde Loisel's flawed reverence for material possessions is another major theme in Maupassant's short story, "The Necklace." Always one to satirize the petty bourgeoisie and the Norman civil servants, Maupassant as narrator writes a litany of the material longings of Mme. Loisel,
She dressed plainly because she could not afford fine clothes, but was as unhappy as a woman who has come down in the world....
She grieved incessantly, feeling tht she had been born for all the little niceties and luxuries of living. She grieved over the shabbines of her apartment....She would dream of silent chambers, draped with Oriental tapestries and lighted by tall bronze floor lamps....
When Monsieur Loisel brings home the invitation to the Ministerial Mansion, he hopes to bring joy to his pretty wife, but she bemoans the fact that she does not have a dress to wear; then, when he generously offers the money he has been saving for a rifle, Mme. Loisel does not even thank her husband. Instead she...
(The entire section contains 3 answers and 877 words.)
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