For the majority of people, abroad and nationally, money is not just a driving factor of their lives but the driving factor of their lives. Whether they're propelled by greed and excess or simply trying to survive, no one is above the allure and power of money. In her song National Anthem artist Lana Del Rey sings about the opulence and toxic lifestyle that her and her partner lead, ultimately being controlled by drugs and money. Similarly, Guy de Maupassant's story The Necklace tells the tale of a woman who was perpetually dissatisfied with her status in life. The woman always wanted more and more until she ultimately had nothing and worked like a slave to repay debts over a diamond necklace. Examining the two pieces both separately and comparing them together will provide a deeper understanding for the overall theme of the volatile and addictive nature of wealth and the destruction that it can bring about, both tangibly and metaphorically.  The two pieces share similarities but also contain distinct differences which will be explored further.

Lana Del Rey is for the most part an extremely simple song writer with very easy to understand messages, even if they aren't everyone's taste. An extremely common and recurring theme in the works of Lana Del Rey are sex, drugs and money, but different songs of hers tend to paint a slightly different picture of these vices than others. In National Anthem she sings about choosing men based off of their economic status and what material items they can offer her. The relationship that she describes between her and the unnamed man is extremely shallow, limited only to partying and having sex, but that's all that she wants. The character and the reality that she's created for this song are lost in the constant sea of materialism, opulence and the ultimately impermanent lifestyle that she chooses for herself and it is in this miserable rat race that she is similar to Madame Mathilde Loisel in the Necklace.

The Necklace tells the story of a relatively poor woman who is plagued by grandiose dreams of aristocracy and affluent life, almost constantly upset with the life that her and her husband lead. Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband are not poor or struggling, they live completely adequate lives and it is in this constant mediocrity that the main character is miserable over. Unlike the woman in National Anthem she doesn't live a life of loose sex, drugs and frivolous spending, she is trapped by her economic state.

Also unlike the previous piece, the Necklace is written by a man whereas National Anthem was written by a woman. Considering the time period that the Necklace was written in it can be assumed that there is at least a small amount of sexism playing into the narrative of the material girl constantly dissatisfied with the hand she was dealt. Lana Del Rey has never been a public figure that was concerned with promoting feminism or with furthering any causes. She writes about the fantasies, realities, heavens and hells that she carries around with her every day of her life, she creates her own world because she's tired of the one that she was born into. Excessive, obscene amounts of wealth play directly into the world that she paints every time she writes a song. Without money, she can't buy her clothes or drugs or drinks but the money is the vehicle for everything else in her fantasy land but it is also the downfall. For most people money is the beginning and the end of everything, even if they aren't greedy or particularly concerned with material goods and the finer (more expensive) things in life. 

The problem with wealth, and the problem with wealth specifically in both of these pieces is the addictive nature of it and how enough is never enough. For Madame Mathilde Loisel the comfortable, albeit not glamorous, life she lived wasn't enough. The invitation to the party her husband begged for wasn't enough. The expensive dress her husband sacrificed his own savings for wasn't enough. And finally, the diamond necklace that completed her fantasy was the very object that plunged her and her husband into a decade of harsh debt. In the Necklace the reader gets to see the fate of the Loisel's whereas in National Anthem they don't. Following the trend throughout the song it can be predicted by the listener that the couple in National Anthem do not stay together romantically very much longer, eventually spending and drinking themselves sick of each other before moving on to other partners before possibly one or both of them dying in overdoses or DUI accidents. This ending is obviously fabricated but for many people it is an unfortunate and familiar reality.

Wealth and money are a constant struggle for many people, with income inequality being one of the largest global problems in recent years. There are many factors that play in to class distinctions and inequality and it is interesting to compare the two texts and their places in history and how this affects the main characters. It is stated in the story that Madame Mathilde Loisel was born to a relatively poor family, doing well to marry the man that she did, even though he wasn't very wealthy at all. In late-nineteenth century France the majority of women didn't work, so marrying into a wealthy family was one of the only ways to move up economically if they weren't already born into an affluent family. National Anthem, although not explicitly stated, can be assumed to be written in the contemporary era. With that context it gives us an interesting insight into the singer, who searches for wealth and luxuries from men instead of working for them herself, which is not only extremely common but an achievement in the modern world. Would Madame Mathilde Loisel have gotten a job and worked for her wealth if she had the opportunity, if she was a modern woman? 

Clearly, the two pieces contain many differences and contrasting ideas and motifs but they are inherently similar. Both the main character in National Anthem and Madame Mathilde Loisel share an inherent human fault, they carry with them the burden of a woman who wants everything but will do nothing to get it. They expect these things to happen simply because they wish it, whether it be the attention and affections of men or a sudden, one hundred and eighty degree shift in their everyday life. Neither of these women truly own any of the things that they lust after, they are either gifts from other people or objects of worthless or little value, and it is in this apathy to everything, this lack of appreciation for others that they will exist in constant misery. This mindset is not exclusive to women and it clearly isn't a product of any specific generation or time period, as these two pieces were written over one hundred years apart from each other.

Works like these are important because they show us everything that someone shouldn't want from life. These glimpses into the misfortunes of others are neon signs, warning the audience that living a life of selfish consumption and self-pity will never lead to anything besides misery and discontent. While they aren't fables with explicit meanings and lessons to teach, as a matter of fact both of these pieces were written for pure entertainment, there is obviously a lesson to take from each of the pieces. From National Anthem the listener will hopefully begin to think introspectively about the life they're leading if it is similar to the one that Lana Del Rey describes, they will hopefully begin to consider why they try so hard to live in a drug-alcohol fueled haze, why they care so much about possessions and material goods, why they care so much about the idea of status and wealth. A young person listening to National Anthem may learn to value themselves more, outside of the influence of lovers and expensive items. From the Necklace we are taught in no uncertain terms to appreciate the conditions that we exist in, because not only could we lose everything in an instant but everything could always be worse than it already is. Madame Mathilde Loisel appreciated nothing before she lost her original way of life, and she seemingly didn't appreciate it even after living in poverty for ten years, blaming her friend for the state of her life. Characters are important because they teach the audience what the consequences of their actions are before they have to experience it themselves. There was no one to teach Madame Mathilde Loisel or Lana what would become of them but the audience is wiser because of their stories.

In conclusion, the two pieces discussed throughout the paper both deal with the themes of wealth and materialism and the effects that selfishly playing in to those urges can bring about. For the protagonists of the Necklace the Loisel's are forced into a decade of manual labor after collecting huge loans following the loss of a friends necklace, only to discover it was worth almost nothing. In the song National Anthem a woman is singing about her relationship with a disgustingly wealthy man and all of the things he buys her as well as all of the drugs they do together and all of the sex they have. Both of the characters are experiencing two very different lives, the influential factor being wealth. The Loisel's lacked excessive wealth and because of that they suffered. The couple in National Anthem had excessive wealth and because of this they lives dangerous lives. It can't be said for certain that the couple in National Anthem was happy because of their wealth, but it is clear in the Necklace that the Loisel's were not happy whatsoever. The characters in the Necklace were unhappy because they did not appreciate what they had while they still had it, whereas the characters in National Anthem will be miserable when they lose their way of life because they cling to it too tightly. Money cannot solely buy happiness but it does contribute to overall fulfillment and enjoyment in life.

