English 10 Mrs.Riolo Don’t Judge A Book by Its Cover
Never judge a book by its cover; it’s just what helps attract the attention of our tricky eyes. There is ninety-nine percent more to what you see with your human eyes and the rest of your four senses than you think. Do not rely on your senses alone to make decisions or place judgment. The short story, “The False Gems” by Guy de Maupassant, is about a woman named, Madame Lantin, who has a gem fetish. This bothers her husband, Monsieur Lantin, just a little only because she likes to taunt him with her false gems. Monsieur Lantin frequently remonstrates against his wife by saying, "My dear, as you cannot afford to buy real jewelry, you ought to appear adorned with your beauty and modesty alone, which are the rarest ornaments of your sex." He tries to tell her that she does not need the false gems to appear beautiful to others. Her beauty and humility are attributes not every woman can wear with pride. His wife then dies and he is left with the false gems. He then decides he should try to sell these false gems, little does he know the false gems are worth eighteen thousand francs. However, in the short story, “The Necklace” also by Guy de Maupassant, a woman, Madame Loisel, of low social status feels unsatisfied with her husband, Monsieur Loisel, and her life. She gets invited to attend a fancy ball, and feels she must look “high class” so she borrows a diamond necklace from her friend, Madame Forestier. She goes to the ball, feeling quite special and elegant. When she gets home, she realizes the necklace is missing. They go to a shop and purchase the same necklace for a huge amount of money. They purchase the necklace replacement. She then confesses to her friend that she had lost her original necklace. Madame Forestier then says, "Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! . . . “Madame Forestier tells Madame Loisel that her necklace was imitation, which it was worth very little. Therefore, both short stories have examples of people being deceived by looks. This shows that a book should not be judged by its cover. It is better to look within rather than what is on the outside that can eventually trick ones naked eye.
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