Beginning of Essay
Did you ever want something but couldn't afford it? The short stories, "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Necklace", deal with two women's struggles to make someone else happy and how fulfilling your own wants can hurt you. The difference between these stories is ho ....

Middle of Essay
.... themselves for gifts for each other. On the other hand, in "The Necklace", the main character, a middle class woman named Madame Loisel is selfish, greedy, and an uncaring woman. Although she is beautiful, she only cares about money. In the story, she and her husband are invited to a party. She has her husband spend the 400 francs he has saved for a gun, on a dress she wants to wear to the ball. She also wants something beautiful to go with her dress, so she borrows a gorgeous necklace from a friend. Madame Loisel was the hit of the party. At the end of the night, she discovered she had lost the necklace. Madame and her husband take out loans so t ....