Women have been depicted multiple ways in different stories, throughout many different time periods. Books vary from representing women as typical housewives to becoming more vocal people in society, making changes in the world. The time period in which the book takes place can affect the way the author chooses to depict the women throughout the story. Guy de Maupassant`s story, "The Necklace", shows us how women of the 1880`s were seen through the main character Madame Mathilde Loisel. Maupassant uses diction, symbolism, and repetition to fully display the very traditional life of a woman throughout the story.

Authors use specific word choice to give the reader more insight about the character. Maupassant uses certain word choice especially when describing a woman, because of the importance of appearance during this time period. He writes, "she was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks" (Maupassant 33). His decision to describe her appearance as "pretty" shows that the first thing people notice in a woman are her looks. Women were thought to be something to look at rather than be heard. This made appearance become an important part of one`s life. Madame Mathilde Loisel wishes she was one, "to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after" (Maupassant 34). Madame Mathilde has lived the life where it is of utmost importance for a woman be wanted by a man. Her life revolves around being someone for others to want to want. Maupassant decided on certain words to help give the reader more insight into how women were more important to others for their looks instead of what they can do. 

The author wanted to show the importance of wealth in the life of woman during this time period. To some people, having money is a safety blanket that needs to be there no matter what. Having money in their pocket and being thought of with high status makes people feel more secure about themselves. Throughout "The Necklace", there are several references towards how Madame Mathilde Loisel believes money would solve all of her problems. Seeing the lifestyle others with more money can live always made Mathilde feel inferior because she is not wealthy. When preparing to go to the party, wearing a set of beautiful jewels becomes the center of her life. She looked through the many choices of necklaces, her friend gave her, and came upon the most extravagant necklace filled with diamonds. Her excitement came not from being able to go to a party with her husband, or how he used all his money on her, but from a piece of jewelry. The symbolism of the necklace shows how woman during this time valued an object more than a person, because of the status it brought. A proclamation of status and wealth was an extremely important factor in a woman`s life back then.

There was a lot of repetition throughout the story of the wife complaining about what she did not have. When she finds out that she and her husband were invited to a party she instantly declines because she does not have an acceptable dress to wear. She replies, "Nothing. Only I have no dress, and therefore I can`t go to this ball. Give your card to some colleague whose wife is better equipped than I" (Maupassant 34). Instead of being excited like many others would be, Mathilde felt bad for herself and did not want to attend because she did not have the money to buy herself a new dress, so she told her husband to give the invitation to another couple. Mathilde`s main interest is how she would look at the party instead of seeing it as an opportunity to be with her husband. Dresses, jewelry, are her first thought before her marriage. Mathilde`s husband felt how much it pained his wife to not be able to spend money on a whim so he gave her the money he had been saving up for himself. Even that act of kindness could not stop Mathilde`s need for money. After buying the dress she tells her husband, "It annoys me not to have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on. I shall look like distress. I should almost rather not go at all" (Maupassant 35). Anytime her husband gave her something she would come back saying there was yet another thing she could not afford that would hold her back from going to the party. Her constant repetition of saying 'I need this to be able to go to the party' puts a strain on her marriage and has her husband and herself struggling to pay for it. By endlessly saying she needs more material possessions it becomes apparent that being seen with expensive improves a woman`s life.

There is always a deeper meaning to a story no matter what the author writes about. One can always look deeper into the meaning behind things to get another idea or theme out of it. In the story, "The Necklace", there are many references to material objects and not being happy with what you were given. The story goes deeper than that. Guy de Maupassant wrote during a time period when women were thought of a certain way. He places moments throughout the story that shows us how they were first judged for their beauty and placed on a pedestal to be thought of something beautiful to just sit and do nothing else. Mauspassant`s story is a very clear depiction of the typical life of women many years ago. His word choices, symbolism and repetition of certain ideas help the reader see woman being treated as objects, not human beings. In "The Necklace", Mauspassant tells a story about a woman who lived like many other women in the 1880s. He explains the lifestyle many were forced to live because of the time period.

