Assignment #8 - The Necklace

In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”, there were many morals that could be lured from between the lines. The one that stood out most to me is to work hard for what you desire but also treasure what you have. The lady in this short story was miserable because she invited misery. She had the necessities but she yearned for more. It is ok to want something that is not necessary but you must always be grateful of what you have or you will never truly be happy. We have to look at things for more than what they appear to be. For example, my grandmother bought me a large plaque for Christmas. On this stunning painting of Our Lady reads, “No tengas miedo porque siempre estas en mi cuidado.” This translates to, “Do not be afraid because I am always with you.” My grandmother died a month before Christmas. When I unwrapped this gift I felt anger and I didn’t even want to hang it on my wall. As time passed I started to look at it in a different perspective and I understood that while most would not think this to be necessary, it was to me. This was my source of comfort and closure. My grandmother was in the hospital the night before she died. She came home and passed away that morning. We do not know how my grandmother died but we do know that she knew her time was near. Now, if you would have asked me shortly after she died if I was grateful for that gift, I would respond that I appreciate the thoughtfulness. I was not especially grateful per say though. However, when I took the time to examine the issue through every angle and read between the lines, I came to know that my grandma intended this to be my means of stability in understanding her passing. The morning she passed away I walked into the bedroom to find my younger sister doing CPR with a 9-1-1 operator guiding her by phone. I wanted to help but all I could manage to do was stand frozen in place as I fumbled for the words to explain to my mother that her mom was not ok. My mom was under the impression her mother was exhausted and just didn’t want to wake up. She had call to check on her but my silence pierced the phone lines and she immediately knew her suspicions were wrong. At the sight of a Christmas gift from her I felt furious that she could leave us the way she did. We knew ahead of time that she came to our house to die. I was not grateful. I wanted more. I wanted her death to be different. All of this wanting things to be something other than what they were caused me to be miserable. Yet, when I accepted the facts and became grateful that she bought me a gift that would help me cope and understand, I was not so despondent anymore. I was not close to my grandmother and that didn’t make losing her any easier, but when I applied the moral found in this story, the situation was made better.