Analysis Pages

Literary Devices in The Necklace

Literary Devices Examples in The Necklace:

The Necklace

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"They looked, thunderstruck, at each other..."   (The Necklace)

Upon realizing the necklace is missing, the Loisels stop talking and just stare at each other. They both realize the trouble they are in, and they have no need to describe it in words. Maupassant therefore does not try to describe their trouble in words, either. The silence is more expressive. Losing a diamond necklace would not be catastrophic to the real owner of the item, but the Loisels are not the owners and their own economic situation is fairly modest.

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"a wardrobe with a mirror, took out a large jewel box..."   (The Necklace)

Maupassant doesn't waste words. He provides the wardrobe with a mirror so that Mathilde can try on the jewels in front of it without the author having to explain where the mirror is located. The large jewel box is an eloquent way of showing that Madame Forestier must be quite rich. There is no other description of this friend's home, but readers can imagine that it is spacious and sumptuously furnished in the fashion of the period.

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