A difficult topic for many of us to discuss, the imperfections of the human race are abundant and are noticed by every member of our group. It is never pleasant to recognize and speak negatively of our personal traits, but having these conversations is key to learning from mistakes and improving personal attributes for the future. We pride ourselves in greed, our ability to judge others, our selfishness, and our faulty worshipping. Simply stating what mankind's basic flaws are makes it apparent that there is always room to improve. David Foster Wallace's "This Is Water" and Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" provide an understanding of man's ameliorable tendencies through proving his trait to glaze over certain facts, worry about solely himself, and selecting an object for worship without analyzing the outcome.

Though the two writings are different in style and layout, both "This Is Water" and "The Necklace" present the need to analyze anything that appears obvious. Touching on the subject of stereotypes and misconceptions, the works present different reasons as to why it is best for oneself and everyone to grasp a complete understanding of the given circumstances. David Foster Wallace presents a short anecdote of two fish who ponder "What the hell is water?", and this gets the piece spinning by posing a rather difficult-to-answer question (Wallace xii). Proving that a thought about a simple and necessary resource is hard to comprehend shows that humans have the natural predisposition to overlook many of life's aspects. Wallace states that many of the times he feels absolutely positive, he is often "totally wrong and deluded." This proves that the human race is flawed in its ability to be thoughtful and comprehensive, especially when it comes to seemingly small ideas. Guy de Maupassant displays the human's ability to miss certain facts, but his writing is focused in the light of judgments and stereotypes of others. After Mathilde loses Madame Forestier's necklace at her evening event, Mathilde cannot bring herself to honestly admit her faults. Perhaps this was done out of embarrassment, but more likely it was due to Mathilde's assumption that Forestier was much wealthier and her jewelry was worth a priceless amount. Stunned by the misplacement of the necklace, Madame Loisel waited "without a thought" in her own human delusion, as she had to quickly think of a method for replacement (Maupassant 37). Caught up in the beauty of the jewelry she had just lost, Loisel zeroed in on finding a replica rather than facing the shame of telling her friend. Through working endless hours to pay off the necklace, Mathilde portrays the common human flaw of making judgments about others. Had she asked Forestier what the necklace was worth, Mathilde would have overcome her pride and stereotypes and worked much less than what she believed would be required.

Analyzing another common flaw within the human race, the two works portray the human's tendency to focus on oneself without paying regard to the feelings or situations of those who surround him. Explaining why he is irritable during any sort of obstruction in his daily schedule, Wallace states that his "natural default-setting" is to believe that everything in life is "all about [him]". This further explains why humans tend to overlook any small details in their lives because why would they want to worry about something that does not have to do with them? Mankind's need to focus completely on oneself without giving any thought to the feelings of others causes relationships to weaken, general happiness to decline, and the unity of the world to slowly break down into nothing. Wallace shares that sometimes he is irritable at the end of the day because he cannot seem to get home and relax because of the "stupid god-damn people" (xv). He recognizes that his thoughts are not rational, but his statement proves that all humans have the predisposition to make quick assumptions without thinking of others. Caught up in her own happiness, Madame Loisel experiences this same selfishness while at her evening ball. She continued to dance while her husband was asleep, and she felt a "complete victory" from the attention received due to "the triumph of her beauty" (Maupassant 36). While it was enjoyable for the woman to have a pleasant evening out, it caused her to ignore her husband's advice to call a cab rather than run out in the cold. Ironically, Upon returning home, they realize the necklace is missing, and the relationship and happiness begin their declines. Had Madame Loisel listened to her husband or thought of taking good care of the necklace, her unbearably tiring situation could have been avoided. Focusing so closely on oneself while paying little attention to the everyday situations leads to scenarios of awakening.

Another fairly obvious statement that can be easily overlooked, the human race requires some object or set of ideas that is worth respect from people. This worship is expressed through anything such as a religious grouping or a personal belief, but the objects of worship will not always be respectable. Worship is not always morally correct, as humans might find themselves worshipping alcohol, power above others, or socioeconomic status. "This Is Water" proves an interesting point towards the conclusion: "there is actually no such thing as atheism" (Wallace xvi). Before making the common human mistake of judging the author for making such a radical statement, his reasoning behind this must be understood. Even if the worshipped concept is a metaphysical ideal, rather than something like a common religion, every human has something that drives them through life. Wallace specifically states that worshipping wealth and physical objects will make one feel as if he "never [has] enough" (Wallace xvi). No matter what drives a human's desire to succeed or have more, there will always be something that is the reasoning (rational or irrational) behind the decisions. Maupassant's Madame Loisel illustrates this worshipping of money, but she "suffered ceaselessly" because no amount would suffice for her (Maupassant 33). She was not of a family of great wealth, but she also did not come down through a line of poverty. Her drive for wealth clearly comes back to spite her after losing the necklace, but it took her the embarrassment of lying to her old friend to face the reality that she only wants wealth in life. Wealth is the perfect embodiment of a faulty worshipping because finances are not required to bring happiness. Although wealth is not a respectable object of worship, Mathilde proves that all humans can find something and admit that it is greater than them. Though many feel strongly otherwise, the wealth is often desired to satisfy another aspect of life, such as a family. Those who worship wealth may indirectly give the most worship to their family members, but this is precisely the deception that money can bring.

The human race is flawed in many areas. These flaws will never be perfectly corrected, but they can be recognized. Understanding that one respects or worships a faulty object can lead to a personal decision to change that worship. Correcting what one hopes for in life can mend relationships and increase one's overall happiness, but it is most unlikely that humankind will forever respect only those things highest in regard. Making these amends begins with the self before focusing on reparations of relationships. Each personal change brings about the betterment of society as a whole. Had David Foster Wallace, theoretically, been able to communicate with Mathilde, perhaps he could have persuaded her to think of others' feelings before herself. Making personal ameliorations is possible only after reflecting on one's personal attributes, but first, one's effects on others must be analyzed for negative outcomes.

