The Jewelry

A short story that leaves you with more questions than answers allows the reader to formulate ideas of their own about the meaning of the story. In The Jewelry, by Guy De Maupassant, there are several key points in the story that leave you wondering what exactly was the intent of the writer. It’s almost as though the story ends abruptly, that perhaps there should have been more to it. I am now going to take over the job of writer, analyze the story as Maupassant wrote it, and fill in the blanks with possible solutions to the riddle.
Starting at the beginning of the story, I begin by examining one of two main characters. Madame Lantin, as she was mysteriously referred to in the story only once, is expressed as a ‘pure’ and ‘respectable’ girl. She is described as being raised by her mother in poverty, and her father was deceased. The first question I had about the story arose when it was stated her mother took the girl and “made regular visits to ...