What makes something valuable? What makes something a treasure?
Value means the attribute either positive or negative which makes something desirable. Something valuable is worth it. Frequently, the things which are valuable are worth money. Items such as gems and fine Jewelry attain a sense of value because of its intrinsic worth. There is a quote that goes, “one man’s trash is another’s treasure…”. The quote implies that what an individual may see as the garbage may be of value to another individual. If an individual treasure something that they possess, they take good care of it since it offers them great pleasure. Therefore, the treasure is a collection of valuable possessions. In the short stories, The Necklace and Civil Peace, the main characters, Mathilde and Jonathan respectively have different opinions of what is valuable to them.
Mathilde in the story of The Necklace believes that material possessions such as dresses and necklaces have the authority to change her life for good. In the beginning, she feels that after obtaining all those possessions she desires, she will be able to achieve her value. This is the reason why Mathilde is drawn toward it, the story says, “Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin box, a superb diamond necklace, and her heart began to beat with uncontrolled desire” (Maupassant 5) It is the utmost superb piece of jewelry she has never witnessed and she thinks that if she wears it, would give her the feeling of wealth she always aspired to achieve. Mathilde feels that owning a necklace would upgrade her status and wealth. In her opinion, she believes that the objects she desired to obtain such as the dress and necklace would make her valuable and have transformative power. Later in the story, Mathilde loses the necklace, she began to see life in a different view and even her life turns from good to worse. She realizes that material objects do not make her valuable in order to exist (Maupassant 9).
In the story Civil Peace, Jonathan seems to value many of the things offered to him, as a person, by God. He survived the war and regards himself lucky to have survived it with “five inestimable blessings” – his wife’ and his three out of four children’s lives, and most of it all his life. Some of the material possessions given to him such as a bicycle are priceless in value since it helps him to generate a living transporting camp’ officials from one location to the other. Jonathan similarly regards himself lucky since his plain house and the work of his hands still prevails. Life, health, family, and ability to work are what Jonathan values and treasures the most. Although Jonathan receives aid from the government and in turn, loses it, he remains calm. Jonathan sees the things that are given by God as important and things given and taken away by wars and government as nothing. All the things Jonathan treasured thought it as God-given and “nothing puzzles God” (Achebe 10).
Both the main characters in the story have a different perspective of what makes something valuable and or a treasure. In the first case of Mathilde, she values material things in her life. She thinks that if she obtains those jewels she desired, she would have transformative power and become more valuable in society. In the second case of Jonathan, she values God-given things such as life, good health, family, and his ability to work. Jonathan cared for his family so much as the narrator said, “He had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings – his head, his wife Maria’s head, and the heads of three out of their four children.” (Achebe 10)
In conclusion, both characters in the two stories are able to show vividly the things that make someone or something valuable. For the story of The Necklace, Mathilde was more about the material possessions that include jewels and dresses while for the story of Civil Peace, Jonathan was more about God – provided things such as life and family.
Work Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Civil Peace. Bedford/ St. Martin’s. pp. 10, 1971.
Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace. Pp. 1-10, 1884.