Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is situational irony written in 1884. The story was written in a time when there were very distinct social classes primarily determined by one's birth. It is about a woman who can not come to terms with her position in the middle class. Although she knows she can not escape her class, she refuses to accept it gracefully. It is through Matilde that Maupassant develops the story's irony. This is reflected …showed first 75 words of 576 total…

…showed last 75 words of 576 total…toiled to replace was only costume jewelry. Even among the rich there are apprearances to keep up.         Maupassant, through irony, shows us that in pursuit of wealth or status it is easy to forget what one already has to appreciate. Also, appearances are just that, no matter what class you belong to. Because Matilde did not understand this, desire to rise above the middle class was replaced with a desire to merely rise above poverty.