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Lit Research Mla

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Literature
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St. Johns River State College
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Literature Research
Introduction
Guy de Maupassant is one of the fathers of the modern short story and most excellent
practitioners (Curnutt 342). He was a famous writer and had good fortune since his stories were
widely read. Maupassant has a lot of experience, including the Franco-Prussian War, which helps
him develop different writing skills. One of his famous stories includes Useless Beauty” and “The
Jewelry.” These stories have some similarities and differences regarding their themes and symbolic
features (Curnutt 345). For instance, symbolism is evident through the story, whereby Maupassant
uses symbolic elements, such as metaphor, simile, allegory, archetype, and myth. These stories
revolve around love. “Useless Beauty” is about a beautiful woman who gives birth to many
children in a short time, and she thinks that her husband loves her because of her fertility and
beauty. “The Jewelry” is about a beautiful young woman who grows up in a poor background, and
she is determined to marry a sensible man. In this regard, this paper explores symbolism in the two
stories and their comparison and contrast.
Symbolism in “Useless Beauty”
Maupassant 86, has used symbolism throughout the story to explain the story of a young
Countess who gives birth to seven children in less than eleven years for her husband. Symbolism
is evident when the confesses her sins in a church, and rails against the perception that the Count
loves only her beauty and fertility (Fusco 280). In this regard, symbolism has been used to indicate

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the quality of the idea. The audience can think about how beautiful and fertile the woman is. The
use of symbolism has also enabled the audience to identify the relationship between the Countess
and Cloves.
The image of the floral arrangement is also symbolism in this story, whereby it allows the
theme of fear to pick up. According to Hatch 45, in the most devastating movies of “useless
beauty,” Costello’s song is used to demonstrate American beauty. Therefore, the Countess’s deep
fear is symbolic of Clove’s affection, following his flattering remarks about her beauty. Hatch 60
argues that Countess has “something” to show off the world. In this case, “something” is a
symbolic term for expressing her extreme beauty that can be admired by every person in the world.
The husband is not only taking advantage of Countess’s beauty but also her futility. In this sense,
Countess believes that her husband only wants her as a breeding machine (Maupassant 89). The
term “breeding machine” reflects Countless’ fertility.
Symbolism has been used to express a painful theme when Cloves says, “I was sitting in
this picture gallery…” He thinks about how the picture could be the first one to be painted. In this
case, the audience can predict how the paintings had no moving images and sound, as Cloves
complains that the photographs had neither moving photos nor audio. He says, “look at these
famous paintings…” This statement is a symbolic feature as it encourages the audience to get into
the world of fiction and see the uniqueness of the pictures. Also, symbolism is evident in how
Cloves watches people coming into the room to see the famous paintings and leave because they
never see them.
Maupassant 88, says that Cloves was not surprised in the tone that Countless answered
him; therefore, he sat down by Countess’s side. Obviously, when a woman answers his husband
rudely, he has to be surprised and bothered. So, in essence, “not surprised” symbolizes that the

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Surname 1 Name Institution Course Date Literature Research Introduction Guy de Maupassant is one of the fathers of the modern short story and most excellent practitioners (Curnutt 342). He was a famous writer and had good fortune since his stories were widely read. Maupassant has a lot of experience, including the Franco-Prussian War, which helps him develop different writing skills. One of his famous stories includes “Useless Beauty” and “The Jewelry.” These stories have some similarities and differences regarding their themes and symbolic features (Curnutt 345). For instance, symbolism is evident through the story, whereby Maupassant uses symbolic elements, such as metaphor, simile, allegory, archetype, and myth. These stories revolve around love. “Useless Beauty” is about a beautiful woman who gives birth to many children in a short time, and she thinks that her husband loves her because of her fertility and beauty. “The Jewelry” is about a beautiful young woman who grows up in a poor background, and she is determined to marry a sensible man. In this regard, this paper explores symbolism in the two stories and their comparison and contrast. Symbolism in “Useless Beauty” Maupassant 86, has used symbolism throughout the story to explain the story of a young Countess who gives birth to seven children in less than eleven years for her husband. Symbolism is evident when the confesses her sins in a church, and rails against the perception that the Count loves ...
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