Kadiatou Traore – Discussion 5

The quote I have decided to use for Essay 2 is: “Literature is not only a mirror, it is a map, a geography of the mind”, by Margaret Atwood and apply it to “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. This story, which I later remembered having read when I was much younger, has stuck with me ever since we discussed it in class a few weeks back. Guy de Maupassant does a great job of demonstrating what mentalities or preoccupations people had at the time it was written and published. To be able to write such a carefully crafted story that very clearly depicted social issues, the author must have done his fair share of people watching. Once he was done observing the current state of affairs in the French bourgeoisie, he had to put it all down on paper and, for us, readers, create a rendition that was as true as possible. Through his words, we are able to get a glimpse of his world and his thoughts about it.