Critique of Class Distinction and Resistance: A Study of Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace

Abstract

The study aims to investigate class distinction in Maupassant’s The Necklace from the perspective of Marxism. Marx and Engels highlight that in capitalism, due to minimum state’s interference in the economic affairs, wealth concentrates in the few hands, resulting the sharp division of society into two classes: the rich and the poor. The former exploits the resources of the latter. All means of production and subsistence are in the hands of the few and majority just depends on them. This extreme disparity results in class conflicts. The Necklace also reveals the unequal distribution of wealth, and disparity between the two classes. It reflects class distinctions and resists the ideology of dominant class. The research uses qualitative research and textual analysis to highlight the aspects of class differences and resistance in the story. The topic under study has been broached for the first time, thus recommending a new vista for further research.