
Action and reaction, cause and effect.  Choices are made based off persons past and present experiences; these choices also depict who a person is.  The relationship between the stories Bartleby the Scrivener and The Necklace is that choices are inevitable. When a person makes a decision, there is a certain outcome that will accrue.  Both texts are similar and different in a number of ways, there is one relatable part of each story.  The choices made in these both Mathilde and Bartleby result in despair.  One decided to make a choice, while the other slowly loses the will to act (Or decides not to act).  Choices are made every day, some more important than others, and some with contrasting consequences.  Whereas Mathilde Loisel is a woman wanting more out of life in the wrong way, by attempting a facade to be content, Bartleby is a man who increasingly does not want anything in life; to be left to dwell.   Decisions made in these two texts symbolize the importance of making the right choice.  

In Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener, there is a man who begins working for the narrator.  Bartleby, at first is praised for his work ethic and output into the firm.  The narrator claims he is very pleased with his attitude and his work.  In the not too distant future, the narrator asks Bartleby to perform the simple task of examining a small document.  At first he is taken aback by Bartleby's reaction to his simple request, believing he would not have a problem with the scrivener.  But Bartleby's calm and collect behavior stuns his superior to the point of him returning to his desk.  This represents the beginning of Bartleby's beginning of.  "I would prefer not to ...  I looked at him steadfastly ...  in other words, had there been anything ordinarily human about him, doubtless I should have violently dismissed him from the premises"(Melville)  Bartleby's decision is so sure and calculated that the narrator can do nothing but be amazed of how concrete the employee was.  

In Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace", a contrasting but similar theme is portrayed.  The main character Mathilde Loisel is described as someone who will always want more than what she has.  Therefore, when she is offered to go to a ball where there will be many wealthy and upper class attendees, she feels the need to spend the little money her family has to fulfill her desire.  She makes the decision to beg her husband for an exuberant dress, and when the dress turns out to not be good enough she demands jewelry.  Loisel is reliant on materialistic possessions to fill the hole she has in her life.  Complaining to her husband: "It annoys me not to have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on.  I should almost rather not go at all" (Maupassant).  Mathilde borrows a necklace she and her husband think is a real diamond necklace.  While arriving at the ball she has become what she pursued.  After the transformation she is the most beautiful and envied person at the event. 

In these two texts it is clear that decisions made can alter the outcome of one's life.  Mathilde Loisel is a woman who believes she is destined for riches and glamour.  Throughout Guy De Maupassant's The Necklace, Mathilde puts a fake lifestyle over her real life.  The idea of parties and fun excite her and this ultimately leads to the biggest mistake of her life.  Contrasting, the text from Bartleby describes a man who decides not to make choices.  Instead, choices are made for him.  

The difference between these two texts is clear; one acts while the other remains stagnant.  In "The Necklace" the character Mathilde decides that one night of happiness is worth the ten years of despair that both her and her husband has to face repaying the necklace off.   

The difference between the two texts is that Bartleby is only viewed and perceived.  The reader never gets to know Bartleby as a person, just by his actions in the work place.  We cannot understand why Bartleby is the way he is.  This contrasts with both texts because as a reader Mathilde's ideas and feelings are shown throughout the text.  

The freedom of choice is one that people take for granted almost every day.  Choices are made to shape the future of a person's life, and they should be taken with great care and planning.  Society can be detrimental to a person's decision making based on the perception of what is important.  An individual needs to be brave enough to choose what is right or wrong for their specific life, not based on the someone else's.  A person also needs to be strong enough to live with the consequences and reactions to those decisions.  Every choice needs to be a conscious decision, the possibilities need to be evaluated then weighed.  Choices often influence others decisions and change their lives in different ways.  

Choices are made every day, some more important than others, and some with contrasting consequences.  Whereas Mathilde Loisel is a woman wanting more out of life in the wrong way, by attempting a facade to be content, Bartleby is a man who increasingly does not want anything in life; to be left to dwell.   Decisions made in these two texts symbolize the importance of making the right choice.  But what defines a right choice?  Was Mathilde Loisel supposed to know that the outcome of that night would be that catastrophic?  Is she entirely wrong for her actions?  What caused Bartleby to change from a hard dependable worker to a person on autopilot?  Some questions remain unanswered in both texts; but to the reader it is clear that both characters Bartleby and Mathilde made choices that left them in a darker place.  Their lives wasted away because of these decisions.  As a result of these reading these two texts, the choices made in everyday life can be found uplifting, or can be suffocating.  A person must not act before thought; therefore a choice should not be taken with ease.  

