Characters estranged from their surroundings

A detailed Summary of Characters estranged from their surroundings

Stories that seem to have nothing in common can be misleading. Ivan Dorin's short story "Outside Edges" and Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace", have settings roughly 200 years apart, take place on opposite sides of the world, and still depict many similarities. These stories manifest themes of how one can become estranged from the outside world and their surroundings. Stubbornness, obsession and ambition are themes revealed by the authors through use of devices such as character, setting, and plot which will all be explored.

As different as they are, Mme. Loisel, the main character in "The Necklace", and David, the main character in "Outside Edges", possess many of the same qualities, but it is these qualities that will lead to their alienation from everything else. The main characters of these stories are very contrasted. Mme. Loisel is a married woman who makes little money and struggles to get by, while David is a young boy who we do see grow throughout the story but starts off as only a little child. The stubbornness of these characters is revealed through certain events in the stories. When Mme. Loisel realized that she has no jewelry to wear to the ball and decides she cannot attend without any, her husband sugge

The settings of the stories are very important to develop the themes. The setting in "Outside Edges" is fairly modern. Technology is also fairly advanced and geographical information is documented. David becomes obsessed with collecting maps and marking his path across Canada that he slowly becomes oblivious to anything that does not have to do with these things. Nothing else seems to interest David. On his birthday, his parents try their hardest to shower him with gifts only to find that he would be equally as happy if he received an empty box. His father realizes what would make David truly happy, "I asked him...if he'd like me to go to the map office with him and pick up a couple of maps," (Dorin, page 51). Mme. Loisel is living in the 1800s when class and status are very significant to everyday life. Throughout the whole story, the author shows how unhappy Mme. Loisel is and how she strives to be part of a higher class. She becomes obsessed with wanting a better lifestyle than the one she is living and does whatever she can to attain this. She shuts out the world and focuses on this one goal. When Mme. Loisel is given the opportunity to spend the night as someone who she always wanted to be, it is then when we realize how much happiness it brings her, "She danced with intoxication, with passion. Made drunk by pleasure, forgetting all, in the triumph of h

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Approximate Word count = 921
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English