The Necklace

Tran Huynh
Ms. Lavarini
English 110
26 September 2013 How Can Id, Ego, and Superego Cause a Psychological Battle in “The Necklace”?
The short story “The Necklace” was published in 1884 in France. It was written by Guy de Maupassant (1850 – 1893) who was considered one of the greatest fathers of the short story. In “The Necklace”, the significant historical events and social roles play an important role in the psychological development of the main characters. According to Freud, the personality contains three components: id, ego, and superego. Id is defined as desires, instincts, and sexual energy that people want to pursue. Superego acts like “the good angel” and feels guilty all the time. Ego goes between id and superego, acting like the pacemaker of self-conscious awareness. Therefore, the conflict between id, ego, and superego is the psychological battle that characters in this story have to cope with. Moreover, based on the three components, there is also a connection between psychological struggles of characters and major theme of this short story: life has so many fluctuations; therefore, a small thing can save or destroy your life. This short story was published before World War I started. At that time, people were really worried about their wealth, class, popularity, and reputation. There was an unequal distribution of social roles between men and women. Men had to work hard, become educated, and have a stable income; in contrast, women had to be beautiful, elegant, and stay at home doing the housework. Furthermore, social classes were also aspects that affected the society in this period. The upper classes enjoyed a lot of big parties, had beautiful gowns, and possessed expensive things. Otherwise, the lower classes were very poor, lacked of education, and worked very hard. Therefore, the setting, the historical events, the social roles, and the social classes were one of the reasons which caused the conflict between id, ego, and superego in the main characters in this story. In “The Necklace”, the main character Matilda is in reality that she is very beautiful. She also has maids at her house, and does not need to do anything, so she can be a part of the upper-middle classes. However, she always feels unhappy, uncomfortable with her life, and envious of other wealthier women, because she thinks that she is just a clerk’s wife. Her id starts to appear at this time; she feels unpleasant with everything she has, envious of other luxurious women, and desires to have more than she has. In the third paragraph of “The Necklace,” Maupassant writes, She suffered incessantly, feeling herself born for all delicacies and luxuries. She suffered from the poverty of her apartment, the shabby walls, the worn chairs, and the faded stuffs. At these things, which another woman of her station would not have noticed, tortured and angered her. She thought of large drawing-rooms, hung in old silks, of graceful pieces of furniture carrying bric-a-brac of inestimable value…. (31)
Matilda never stops dreaming of living in the luxury, because she is materialistic.
Not only does she want to make other women jealous of what she has, but she also desires to become a popular person whom men are always seeking: “Made for five o’clock chats with most intimate friends, men known and sought after, whose attention all women envied and desired.” (Maupassant 31). “Her desire about luxurious thing, glamour, and looked rich are the reflection of her Id”, wrote Rahmat Setiawan. And, the chance for her id to increase comes with the letter of the invitation from “the Minister of Public Instruction and Madame George Ramponneau” (Maupassant 32). At first, she denies the invitation, because she does not have a beautiful dress. She cries, and tells her husband to “give your card to some colleague whose wife is better fitted out than I.” (Maupassant 32). It is shown that there is a considerable comparision of Matilda with other women when she tries to give an excuse for not going to the party due to her poverty and bad physical appearance. Furthemore, although she cries very little “two great tears fell slowly from the corners of her eyes toward the corners of her mouth,” her pain from the bottom of her heart is greater than her tears. According to Setiawan, “crying here is the effect of unfulfilling the Id.” However, her husband appears to fulfill her desire, and he acts as the ego. He gives her money, and asks her to try to have a pretty dress. Although he is just a clerk, he is still pleasant to give Matilda four hundred francs, which is not a small amount of money. It proves that he really loves her, and always sacrifices for her, even his future at the end of this story. Unfortunately, humans never feel satisfied with what they have. Once again, Matilda’s id wins over her superego. She always desires more than what she has. When she already has a beautiful dress, she still feels unhappy and anxious, because she wants to have luxurious jewelry. And, her husband acts as the ego to appease her id, he advises her to wear natural flowers instead of the expensive jewels; however, Matilda refuses this suggestion. At this moment, there is a conflict existing between superego and id, so ego appears to fulfil and satisfy both of them. Her husband finally gives her another option to control her desire: “Go and find your friend Mrs. Forestier and ask her to lend you her jewels. You are well enough acquainted with her to do this.” (Maupassant 33). Next, choosing the better necklace is another example of Matilda’s id. Just after having the most expensive necklace, she feels satisfied and is appeased. At this circumstance, Mrs. Forestier acts as a superego, and a good friend, because she lends her expensive necklace to Matilda. Occasionally, people rarely lend their valuable things to someone, but Mrs. Forestier is very happy to do it for Matilda. Therefore, her superego helps to stop Matilda’s id temporarily. When Matilda goes to the ball, “She was the prettiest of all, elegant, gracious, smiling, and full of joy. All the men noticed her, asked her name, and wanted to be presented. All the members of the Cabinet wished to waltz with her. The Minister of Education paid her some attention.”(Maupassant 34). Finally, her id is completely fulfilled. Now, she could become a rich and beautiful lady whom men are seeking for. She can live as a part of the upper classes, and perceive everything in this party very perfectly. She dances with all the energy she has, with her enthusiasm, passion, and pleasure. It seems to be the best moment in her life; she even neglects her husband and leaves him alone. “Her husband had been half asleep in one of the little salons in midnight, with three other gentlemen whose wives were enjoying themselves very much,” (Maupassant 34). It shows that Matilda’s husband acts as the superego who really cares for her desire, sacrifices for her everything, and tolerates their relationship. After the party is finished, she goes home with the modest garments. “She felt this and wished to hurry away in order not to be noticed by the other women who were wrapping themselves in rich furs.” (Maupassant 34). Once again, her ego ignores superego, because she tries to avoid the reality that she is not a rich woman. However, people just know how to respect their treasures after they had lost them. Therefore, until she considers the loss of Forestier’s necklace, her superego can beat her id. She has to work very hard, and live in poverty for ten years to replace the necklace she lost. In spite of living in poverty, she starts to be satisfied with what she has. She is now wiser, and knows how to work. It is also a theme of this story that “women need to work, too”, wrote Lavarini. In addition, her husband acts as a superego, because he never complains about her. He is always beside her, and helps her to find another necklace for Mrs. Forestier. He even sacrifices his future by working two jobs to pay all their loans. Therefore, it can be stated that “Marriage is strengthened of a couple work toward a common goal,” (Lavarini). In addition, honesty is the best policy. This also represents for Matilda’s superego, because she tries to work. hard to replace another necklace for her friend. Thanks to losing the necklace, she accepts her reality, and does not dream about wealth and the upper classes any more. She is satisfied with her life and her husband. She feels very regretful, because she ignores her husband’s superego. She finally understands that the value of a thing is dependent on an individual’s perception. She completely does not know it is just a fake necklace until Mrs. Forestier tells her. Finally, the necklace helps her to consider that life has so many fluctuations; therefore, a small thing can save or destroy your life. Based on the concept of id, ego, and superego, it could be said that Matilda is the combination of her id and superego. Firstly, her ego ignores her superego; as a result, she has to live in poverty for ten years. However, after losing the expensive necklace, she starts to be satisfied with her life, and feels happy with what she has. Her ego eventually listens to her superego, and her id disappears at the end of this story. Therefore, “The Necklace” is also a lesson for her life, and helps her to navigate where her superego is. In conclusion, the author Guy de Maupassant wants to send a moral value in his short story that “If someone cannot handle the Id or ignoring the Superego, something bad will come.”(Setiawan).

Works Cited
Lavarini, Theresa. “English 110 Critical Thinking.” Golden West College. Golden West College Humanity Department, Huntington Beach. 12 Sept. 2013. Lecture.
Maupassant, Guy. “The Necklace.” The World’s Greatest Short Stories. Ed. James Daley. New York: Dover Publications, 2006. 31-37. Print.
Setiawan, Rahmat. “Concept of Id, Ego, and Superego in the Short Story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant.” World of World 3 Jan. 2012. nubackzone.blogsopt.com. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

Cited: Lavarini, Theresa. “English 110 Critical Thinking.” Golden West College. Golden West College Humanity Department, Huntington Beach. 12 Sept. 2013. Lecture. Maupassant, Guy. “The Necklace.” The World’s Greatest Short Stories. Ed. James Daley. New York: Dover Publications, 2006. 31-37. Print. Setiawan, Rahmat. “Concept of Id, Ego, and Superego in the Short Story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant.” World of World 3 Jan. 2012. nubackzone.blogsopt.com. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.