The use of female characters in The Necklace and the RécitatifIn “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and “Récitatif” by Toni Morrison, materialism and the desire to being envied are essential ingredients in story themes. Both authors enhance their themes through plot manipulation and the use of women as central characters. Maupassant and Morrison prove the idea that women are effective characters to depict themes that deal with the social issue of the desire for material wealth. The theme of these stories can be determined by an analysis of the narrator's attitude toward the characters in each story. The narrator of “The Necklace” reflects a disapproving opinion towards Mathilde. He believes that Mathilde is snobbish and too concerned about her social image: “She suffered constantly, feeling born for all delicacies and all luxuries. She suffered from the poverty of her accommodation, the miserable appearance of the walls, the atmosphere. worn chairs, because of the ugliness of the curtains" (66). Through this description of her personality, the narrator illustrates his idea that Mathilde feels that she deserves a richer, higher-class existence. The narrator also expounds on her convictions by declaring: “She had no dresses, no jewelry, nothing, and she only liked that. She would have loved to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after.” . In these sentences, the narrator reveals his ideas about Mathilde and his concern about how others see her. The narrator of “Recitatif” does not make his attitude towards Roberta as obvious as the narrator of “The Necklace. "In "Recitatif", the narrator suggests that Roberta is obsessed with the material desires that Mathilde expresses. Therefore, Mathilde is more beneficial to the development of the theme as her husband Maupassant and Morrison convey their themes of social acceptance and acceptance. materialistic desires through the attitudes of the narrators and develop these themes through the manipulation of the plot. To maximize the effect of the themes, Maupassant and Morrison present them through female characters with an inherent desire for others to covet them and an attraction to materialistic wealth.Works CitedMaupassant, Guy de. “The necklace.” Understanding fiction. 3rd ed. Ed. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72. Morrison, Tony. "Recitative." New world of literature: writing from the many American cultures. 2nd ed. Ed. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994. 210-225.