Greed and loss are dominant themes in Disabled and The Necklace. Both writers explore these themes in different ways, but their works ultimately imply that greed is bound to lead to loss. Both writers also emphasize the elusive nature of the fame and wealth that the two main characters fall into. War seemed magnificent to the soldier in Disabled, but in reality it was a deadly, deadly battle with no riches or glory to look forward to. Similarly, Mathilde in The Necklace thought the necklace was made of diamond and after draining all her youth, she discovers that it was a fake. The quest for the satisfaction of superficial desires and its inevitable consequences are at the heart of both plays. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The plays' two main characters suffer a loss and are both ruined, one physically and the other financially – and perhaps both mentally. They both begin with a desire for something superficial and pointless, which ultimately leads them both to lose ironically. The author of The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant, was born in 1850, in Dieppe, France. He lived with his mother after she was disgraced and ostracized by everyone who knew her, for no other reason than she left her husband. Known largely for his skill in executing denouements effortlessly, de Maupassant was often considered a protégé of Gustave Flaubert, also an 18th-century French writer. He was a very isolated person and had a personal hatred towards society. Perhaps this was a reason for his writings which sometimes vilified modern society as superficial and corrupt. The Necklace is a direct critique of society's fascination with glamor and jewelry, as well as the common desire for the superficial. The boy from Disabled and Madame Loisel in The Necklace are not content with what they have, even though they are both very privileged. De Maupassant explains in Le Collier: "She was unhappy all the time..." Although Mathilde led a perfectly acceptable life with servants and food on her table, she was not satisfied with her lifestyle. – the unhappiness she manifests is due to her greed. . To emphasize this, De Maupassant repeatedly uses the words “she dreamed”: “She dreamed of exquisite dishes served on fabulous porcelain plates. » To draw the reader's attention to Mathilde's misfortune, many moving words are used. De Maupassant writes: “Sometimes, for whole days, she cried tears of sorrow, regret, despair and anguish. » While some would say this makes us feel compassionate towards her, it also makes her feel spoiled. She is characterized as a little girl who throws a tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants, emphasizing her predominant characteristic of being greedy.Wilfred Owen, born in 1893, is one of the leading poets of the Early World War. He served in the Manchester Regiment after enlisting at the age of 22. He is best known for his shocking accounts of the trenches, gas and the deaths of his comrades. His most famous poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, explains the consequences of cowardice. Perhaps Owen believes that those who sacrifice nothing are cowards and that soldiers like those in his poem Disabled are the true heroes of war. In Owen's poem Disabled, the soldier also appears as a child, for quite similar reasons. He's not just the hero on the fieldsports, nor the attention he receives from girls. He must have more glory and he must impress those around him. Owen writes: “Therefore; and perhaps also to please his Meg…” Just as Mathilde wants to look like a goddess in a ball gown, the young boy imagines himself like a god in a kilt. This characteristic is somewhat childish because he wants to be the "cool kid" that everyone respects. It is selfishness and the quest for self-aggrandizement that motivate a soldier to join the army, rather than a sense of duty to his country. He wants fame for selfish reasons so he can show off. The poem reads: "The Germans, he almost didn't think...he thought of the jeweled hilts for the daggers in the checkered socks." » In reality, he does not care about his country, but only about himself. He is proud to leave to join the army, but then finds that his hopes are not entirely fulfilled when he returns home: “Some applauded him at home, but not like the crowd applauds a goal. » People no longer show him the attention or respect he wishes to show him, and they no longer celebrate his actions the way they used to, which is a somewhat ironic result. Another important reason the soldier in Owen's poem joined the army was for the sexual attention he hoped to receive for it. However, ironically, the consequence of his going to war means that his now broken body will no longer benefit from the attention of women or their "thin waist", to be replaced by the memory of the blood gushing from his thigh, which could , in fact, being a metaphor for male ejaculation. Mathilde also shows great pride in herself throughout Maupassant's short story. She has her moment of glory when she is at the party: “She danced ecstatically, wildly, drunk with pleasure…” She reached ecstasy when she finally got what she wanted. But as we see soon after, "pride goes before destruction..." His joy is not only fleeting but, as the final twist reveals, illusory. Self-obsession is a predominant factor in the loss that both characters experience. Mathilde loses ten years of her life which she devotes to working to repay her debts: her body wastes away and she loses her youth. Her obsession with herself is evident from the beginning of the story, as de Maupassant writes: "She was one of those pretty and charming girls..." and almost immediately it seems as if she is talking about 'herself. She thinks she is better than her own lifestyle and deserves more. This arrogance makes us show less sympathy for Mathilde, because it makes us consider that she deserved to lose what she had. De Maupassant underlines this by adding the contrast of her husband's contentment when he exclaims: “'Ah! Stew! Splendid'". De Maupassant deploys this contrast to emphasize that it is greed and self-obsession that drive Mathilde. This same self-obsession is also found in Disabled. The soldier is now old; his youth consumed by war which, he thought, would make him even more attractive He is obsessed with himself and loves to show off: “After the matches, carried shoulder high” Both characters love to show off and clearly have very high esteem. themselves. They both demonstrate a hunger for attention The arrogance they display makes us less sympathetic to their characters in their suffering is manifested in Disabled through the repetitive use of. Owen references the past to show that this is all the unknown boy is thinking about. Owen writes: "In ancient times..." and several paragraphs are written in the perfect tense to reinforce the soldier's desire for what once was. 48.