Hanna I.

asked • 11/16/20

Which statement can be an ironic theme of the story? For the necklace by Guy de maupassant

A. Although friends might be willing to share things, owing something to them can ruin the friendship


B. People concerned by appearance can be undone by appearance


C. If you try to climb the social ladder, you will always fall


D. If you are born into wealth, you will always stay wealthy


(And explain why)

Hanna I.

Please help me..
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11/16/20

ANA C.

tutor
Hello Hanna I. This is a great story that many people can relate to in today's age. There are 2 different ironic themes that fit here (both B and C), however, I believe the one that fits most is B "People concerned by appearance can be undone by appearance." Even among the rich there are appearances to keep up. Maupassant, through irony, shows us that by trying to appear as something she wasn't (wealthy) Matilde ended up throwing away all of her money and being more poor at the end than she was in the beginning. She used the necklace to appear wealth, but it led to her essential "undoing" and loss of any money she did have . Also, appearances are simply appearances, regardless of if you're wealthy or poor, and Matilde failed to understand this which led to her undoing. The very item that was supposed to make her appear wealthy was the very item that caused her to become even more poor mentally and financially in the end. This to me is VERY ironic!
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11/17/20

1 Expert Answer

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Richard B. answered • 11/17/20

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MDiv with 10+ Years of Academic Reading and Writing Experience
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Hi Hanna! For this question, you first need to identify what "irony" actually is. Irony is intentionally saying or doing something that is the opposite of what would be expected or meant. So ask yourself which of those statements provided for you are ironic, in that they discuss something happening or being said that is the opposite of what would be expected. I hope this helps!

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