When reading a short story, it is often times not enough to simply read the text. Sentences are formed by words and words formed by letters, but each word and sentence in a piece of work is more than letters strung together so that sentences can be created.  Yes, there is a plot to each story we read, and a problem, which is generally followed by a solution, but, as readers, we need to step back and read not what it is that the text is written about, but focus or attention more closely on how the text is written.

The idea of close reading was brought about by a man by the name of I.A. Richards, and his student, William Empson. The purpose of close reading is to analyze the way in which a piece of literature is written.  As readers, we are accustomed to looking at a passage as a whole, but close reading is meant tomake the reader look at each part of a passage while analyzing the vocabulary within, the sentence structure, the syntax, and the literary devices that are used to relate to the main theme of the passage. 

The Necklace, a short story written in the nineteen-eighties by a French man named Guy de Maupassant, is written in such a way that it is very easy for the reader to close read and analyze the text. The first words that stick out to a reader when looking at Guy's work are those of great admiration and envy of which Madame Loisel speaks. Madame Loisel was not as rich as her dear friend Madame Forestier and could not afford as many materialistic possessions. She is especially envious of Madame Forestier's beautiful jewels and gowns. The author uses phrases of envy to describe how the poor woman believes she would feel if she could ever own such magnificent items. Phrases such as, 'to be envied(de Maupassant, p. 22)', 'to be charmed(p.22)', and 'to be sought after(p.22)' all explain the feelings of Madame Loisel. She wants to feel beautiful. She wants the opportunity to prove to others what she is truly worth. In her mind, owning beautiful jewels and wearing expensive gifts would make her envious, charming, and desirable. 

While some words or phrases are self explanatory, others seem out of place to the reader. Uncommon phrases are often used by the author to show the true extent of a character's feelings or to describe a setting in order to make it appear more real to the reader. Madame Loisel's envy was expressed throughout the entire story, but it became more real to the reader because of the word choice of de Maupassant. He writes about the parlors of the rich peoples and the elegant way in which they are designed and decorated. He used the phrase, "long salons all fatted up with ancient silk"(page 22) to emphasize the beauty and worth of the living areas in the rich households.  Each area has curtains of silk and large couches arranged perfectly and that is easily seen through the reader's eyes because of the descriptions the author uses. De Maupassant also uses extremely descriptive adjectives to describe the cherished items within the parlors, almost personifying them. He writes about such things as, "dainty dinners", "shining silverware", and "marvelous plates"(page 22). The value of these items in the households of the wealthy, as well as Madame Loisel's feelings of envy towards the wealthy, is described perfectly through these descriptions.

Along with the adjectives and phrases used in the passage, specific events also relate to the overall theme. Madame Loisel attends an event at the palace and asks to borrow a diamond necklace from her friend Madame Forestier. When she puts on the necklace, she immediately feels the way that she has always thought she deserved to feel. Madame Loisel feels that her outward appearance and her material possessions define her as a person, but there is more to her than what her wealth can prove. In the passage, when Madame Loisel first arrives at the palace, de Maupassant states that she begins to feel, "made drunk by pleasure, forgetting all, in the triumph of her beauty, in the glory of her success"(page 24). Madame Loisel begins to feel beautiful, sought after, and charmed all because of a shiny diamond necklace. However, while she was at the palace, she managed to lose the necklace and did not discover it missing until she had returned home. She panicked about how she would begin to explain to her dear friend what she had done. Her husband told her to lie, to tell Madame Forestier that the clasp had broken but she would have it fixed and returned as soon as possible. This would give her and her husband time to find jobs and earn enough money to purchase a new one to return to Madame Forestier. They work for over ten years earning money back only to find out that the necklace had been a fake all along. Madame Loisel's fantasy of feeling beautiful, being sought after, being envied, and having wealth were similar to the necklace; fake. Wealth and social status don't come from the amount of money you have or your material possessions. It comes from your heart and your actions, like working for ten years straight to fix a problem that you created. The way that the author describes the envy of Madame Loisel has towards the wealthy strongly portrays the theme of the passage and the message that de Maupassant was trying to get across. 

Many authors, when writing stories, focus not only on a plot, but also the way the story is written. Specific styles of writing such as the word choice, phrasing, and vocabulary used to create imagery help the reader to more fully understand the piece of literature that they are reading. \The plot of a story is important, but it can not be fully understood or envisioned without the use of descriptive words, detailed phrases, and imagery.  
