Guy de Maupassant - "The Necklace" This essay highlights three cases of irony used in the story.

Throughout Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace," irony is used to add to the story. There are many obvious cases of irony in this story, three of which will be discussed. This story is a situational irony written in 1884. The story was written in a time when there were very distinct social classes, primarily determined by one's birth. It is about a woman who cannot come to terms with her position in the middle class. Although …

…iled to replace, was only costume jewelry. Even among the rich, there are appearances to keep up. Maupassant, through irony, shows us that in pursuit of wealth or status it is easy to forget what one already has to appreciate. Also, appearances are just that, no matter what class you belong to. Because Matilde did not understand this, desire to rise above the middle class was replaced with a desire to merely rise above poverty.