Contrasting Character: Madame Loisel & Della Remember That If You Say One Character Is
Contrasting Character: Madame Loisel & Della
Remember that if you say one character is considerate then you must discuss how the other character is inconsiderate. Also, include contextual information (background) so that your examples make sense and your quotes are understandable in the context of the story.
Transition Words: Remember to use transition words! I've underlined good examples for you to use in your essays.
Della gives up her most prized possession to get her husband a gift; however, Madame Loisel makes her husband give up the possibility of his possessions to purchase things for her.
The gifts in “The Gift of the Magi” cannot be used, though they are appreciated.On the other hand, the gifts given to Madame Loisel are never appreciated even when they can be used.
Della tries hard to make ends meet, but Madame Loisel never works at all but still demands more.
Madame Loisel lives a middle class lifestyle in a nice apartment and has a maid.In contrast, Della lives a life of poverty, for she lives in a small flat that is only $8.00 a week.
While Della cherishes the small amount of money she has and uses it toward something important, Madame Loisel does not cherish anything and only wants more to be given to her. For example, Madame Loisel takes the money her husband got from selling his gun and buys herself a dress without saying thank you. Della gets the money and doesn’t spend it on herself; instead, she uses it for Jim’s gift.
Madame Loisel
- Greedy
- After she gets the dress, she wants a necklace too. Nothing is ever good enough for her.
- Self-centered
- Inconsiderate
- She took the money her husband was saving to buy a gun so that she could get herself a new dress.
- Even after she got a new dress, she still complained that it wasn’t enough because she needed jewelry too.
- Disloyal
- She dances with other men at the dance; she ditches him.
- Selfish
- Deceitful
- She lied to Mme. Forestier about the necklace.
She takes advantage of her husband; he is almost disposable in her eyes.
She is unsatisfied with her lifestyle and thinks she deserves better.
Della
- Unselfish / selfless / self-sacrificing
- She sells her pride and joy to buy her husband a present.
- She had been saving for months to gather enough money for a present.
- Considerate / thoughtful
- She made sure she found the perfect gift for her husband.
- Loyal
- Compassionate
- She respects her husband. She is willing to give up her most prized item to buy him a gift.
- Della doesn’t appear to have a problem with her lifestyle even though she is very poor.