… Short Novel

big

Which one deserves publication?

Two psychological stories…

…two twist endings.

Introducing…

The Necklaceby Guy De Maupassant

Meet Loisel, our protagonist:

- She’s charming.

- She’s pretty.

- Elegant,Witty,

- BeautifulGracefuland gracious.

However, she was poor.

“She was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks. "

This made her vain. jealous, and angry.She felt she deserved better.

It’s an omniscient story. The point of view is all knowing.

Point of View

Setting

Estimated 1900’s France, During the time of a depression.

The plot:One day, her husband comes home for dinnerand anxiously presents her with an invitation to a prestigious dinner.He is eager to do so as he knows she’s unhappy with her current affairs.

However, she’s upset at him because she doesn’t have a pretty dress to wear and she’ll look like a fool.

Her husband, seeing howupset she is, agrees to buyher a dress for the party, even though it means hewon’t have money for himself.

However, this doesn’tmake her happy either.

She’s annoyed thatshe doesn’t have anyjewels to wear to the party.

Her husband, also annoyed,suggests she borrows a necklace from her friend.She does so, and it’s the most beautiful necklaceshe’s seen.

At the party, after having a wonderful time,fooling everyone into thinking she was someoneof high class, she realizes she has lost the Diamondnecklace she had borrowed.

They discover the necklace was worth 40,000 francs.

The husband then makes loans with various people, signing offthe rest of his working life to saving up to repay for the necklace.

They worked for 10 years day and night, trying to pay back they money little by little each month. Loisel aged horribly.

Ten years later, she sees her friend whom she had borrowed the necklace from. She greets her and her friend does not recognize her because she has aged so poorly.

Loisel admits to her crime of losing the diamond necklaceand that this why she has lost her beauty because she has worked10 years straight to pay it back.

She tells her the necklace was paste. Worth at most 500 francs.

Theme:Over concern about one’s appearance can lead to someone losing all youth, grace and beauty.

Secondly..

The Backward Fallby Jason Helmandollar

Meet Mom, our protagonist:

- She’s sixty-two and only getting older.

- She’s a wife of 47 years.

- Her husband loves her dearly.

However, she’s losing her memory.

“ ‘Don't you recognize me? It's me, George.’     She slams the bowl back to the counter, hard enough to crack it. ‘You're not my George. You're an old man. You've got me trapped here. You stole all my money, and now you took my wedding ring.’ “

She’s slowly forgetting who he is or why she’s there.

It’s an omniscient story. The point of view is also all knowing.

Point of View

Setting

Present time. In an old couple’s home,

North America.

The plot:It begins when a husband and wife are at home alone together. Mom, 62, has been married to her husband for 47 years. She’s playing the guitar when she forgets her own song.

She calls for him, and asks him the words to her own songs. She’s beginning to lose her memory.

At 64, she calls for him again. She asks him to get into the closet, and he is already poised to do what she wants as he is used to her memory loss by now.

However, she looks at himwith bewilderment and confusion. He’s hurt becauseshe does not recognize him,her own husband.

Her memory continuesto regress. She walks into rooms and forgetswhy she went there in the first place. She asks him what she’lldo if she wakes up oneday and forgets every-thing.

Her husband is supportiveand reassures her that she willremember why she went intothe room. He lovingly tellsher that if she forgets her memory he’ll remind her of everything.

Her memory starts to

produce delusions. Sheasks him if he filled up the car, but he only everdrives to the grocery storeonce a week. She asks about their vacation to the Grand Canyon the next day, but it’s been 15 years since they went.

She then wakes in themiddle of the night and tells him that Wendell Thurbur kissed her onthe lips that day.

She lets him know thatthe boy who kissed herlikes her and can treather better than he has been treating her.

He has been neglecting her since her memory hasgotten bad.

He promises to be better,and realizes as he has beentreating her poorly.

One day, she begins to get angry of him accusinghim of stealing her wedding ring, kidnapping her, and taking all her money. She calls him a dirty old man.

She believes she’s 23, but she’s 68.

Time progresses and shebelieves she’s 19. She completelyforgets who her husband isand sees him only as anervous, always crying oldman. She begins to ignorehim and fantasize aboutwhen George (her husband)will propose to her.

Her delusions worsento where she believes her19 year old husband iscoming to rescue her, and that her real husband is just a senile man not aware of what’s going on.

She see’s her husband at 19walking towards her, but no one is there.

Her real husband kindlycorrects her, knowing itis pointless, but out of love.

Finally, one day, she is laying on her death bed,unaware of her surroundings. She doesn’t recognize anyone,but is reassured by his presence.

“Unknown words fall from lips. Tears fall from sad eyes. She breathes in each face and it soothes her. Last is a face that feels familiar. Its shape is familiar – its gritty texture as a cheek presses against her cheek. Familiar lips touch her forehead. She watches this face and realizes that while all information has been stripped away, emotion has remained. Untouched.”