Relationship Between the Necklace and the Story of an Hour

ENGISH 1121 The Story of an Hour and The Necklace share many similarities and also many differences; both explore the feeling that both wives harbor towards their husbands and the lack of communication that both wives share. In this essay I will discuss the similarities and differences that the two short stories share with regards to communication. In Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is the story of Mathilde Loisel, who resents her "station" in life. Mathilde Loisel is shown to be a vain and ungrateful person who believes that she was born to have a better life. She feels that she has married beneath her, in spite of the fact that her husband is a hard working and dependable man. Mathilde is unable to recognize and appreciate the good things in her life. "She had no fine clothes, no jewels, nothing; these were the only things she loved; she felt that she was made for them." The central conflict in this story is between Mathilde's desire for a life of luxury and the reality of her humble lifestyle. "She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury." Throughout out the story the husband is portrayed to be a man with ambition and vision, but even though he posses all these attributes its still not enough for his wife, she still wants more, she has even given up the friendship of an old schoolmate who happens to be wealthy. Monsieur Loisel expects his wife to be thrilled about being invited to such a formal affair, but she agrees to go only after he promises to buy her a dress. The conflict comes to a head when, after a glorious evening of dancing and socializing, Mathilde realizes with horror that she has lost the borrowed necklace. Mathilde's internal conflict, between fantasy and reality, leads her into a life of abject poverty. Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" is the story of Louise Mallard, a weak, repressed housewife who is liberated in learning of her husband's death in a train accident. The conflict in Chopin's story is an