The Necklace: A Shared Identity

A Shared Identity Identity is both necessary and important and to all, promoting individuality and characteristics that make each person their own. The countless books telling stories of dystopian societies, where one person is no different from the other, represent the way a society would become in the absence of individual identity. It is the defining quality that makes one human, molding morality into its distinct and unique forms. One such example of identity that is impactfully associated with all Americans, is that of the American Dream. This dream encompases the idea that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve the lifestyle that they want to live. It is highly associated with a drive for success. People from all walks of
In the story “The Necklace,” Mathilde is a lower class woman who has a fine house, kind husband, and enough to make one happy. However, she is not content with her life and continually wants more: “She had no clothes, no jewels, nothing. And these were the only things she loved; she felt that she was made for them. She longed so eagerly to charm, to be desired, to be wildly attractive and sought after” (Maupassant 1). The American Dream reminds people not to settle. When people like Mathilde are unhappy with a good life situation, they expect too much from the American Dream, taking the idea of not settling almost too far. It is impossible to be satisfied when the desire for more is always in your sights. For almost all Americans, this flaw has become a part of their identity, as it coincides with the American Dream. LeAlan and Lloyd notice this flaw as well, though they see it from a slightly different perspective. When LeAlan talks about the privileged suburban kids and struggling ghetto kids, relating to how their identities differ because of their upbringings, he says, “But then sometimes the suburban kid doesn’t have to work and gets everything he wants. That’s why you see a lot more suicides in the suburban area-because the kid doesn’t have to work for nothing and he just goes crazy” (Jones and Newman 43). This quote holds truth, people with different backgrounds and experiences may have opposing identities and views on the American Dream. Yet in disagreement, whether a suburban kid or a ghetto kid, as LeAlan calls them, has an easy or hard upbringing, they will all have to work in order to reach their goals. In the case of both texts, once these goals are reached, especially for those who did not need to work as hard to reach them, an unsatisfied part of their identity will ask for more.