The Necklace and The Gift of the Magi - Essay Example

In Maupassant’s story, the husband takes the money he had saved to buy a riffle to buy his wife a nice dress. Continue reading this ‘The Necklace’ and ‘The Gift of the Magi’ essay to learn more about similarities and differences in these two short stories. Poverty is another thing that is present in the two stories. In ‘The Necklace’, the author tells a story about a woman who was born into a poor family. Due to a lack of dowry, she couldn’t marry a rich man.

The poverty also made it hard for her to visit a friend in a well-to-do school. In Henry’s story, the author portrays the family as living in a poor apartment in his description. Despite haggling with local vendors in order to save, the wife in this story has only managed to save a few pennies after several months. When Christmas comes, she doesn’t have enough money to buy her husband a present. The two stories revolve around the themes of sacrifice and love. In Maupassant’s plays presents a young man who saved money to buy his wife, Madame Loisels, a nice dress.

The husband uses the money he had saved for other things to impress his wife. The wife losses a borrowed necklace, and the couple takes a lot of time to raise money to purchase a replacement. Henry tells the story of a poor couple that sacrificed whatever they had to keep each other happy. In this case, the couple bought Christmas gifts for each other. Although both stories are about relationships, they are completely different — the two women in the two stories married for various reasons.

In Maupassant’s story, Mathilde got married to Loisel's, who was working as a clerk at the Ministry of Education, to meet societal expectations. Therefore, it appears that she was not ready to get married. On the other hand, Della Young’s relationship with her husband in Henry’s story is somehow perfect and happy. The couple got together out of the free will. Therefore, there is an emotional connection in this relationship. The two women in the two stories, Mathilde Loisels in Maupassant’s work and Della Young in Henry’s work, are similar and different in various.

The two are young and attractive. Their husbands are loving. However, the two have different personalities. Loisel's does not consider her husband’s feelings. She takes him for granted. On the other hand, Della is an unselfish woman who loves her husband. Although both women are not proud of their current economic status, they behave differently. Della does not order or do crazy things simply because she doesn’t have enough money to buy her husband a present. Contrary, apart from engaging in self-pity, Loisels doesn’t appreciate the invitation to an evening reception.

Despite Monsieur Loisels buying her a dress with money meant for a gun, she then complains she doesn’t have a necklace. ‘The Necklace’ and ‘The Gift of Magi’ are two different stories that share various main themes, as explained above. Sacrifice is seen in the two stories apart from the differences brought about attitudes and identities of the involved characters. Despite the two couples living in almost similar conditions, a difference is seen in the way they perceive things.