The Hierarchy of Meaning: Hyponym analysis in Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace"

Abstract

This research investigates the application of hyponymy in the short story The Necklace written by Guy de Maupassant.

The lexical relation of hyponymy defines how a specific word contains all the meaning of a broader general term. The research aims to demonstrate how semantic hierarchies create narrative meaning while strengthening symbolism throughout literary texts. The researcher conducts descriptive qualitative analysis to identify and group 20 hyponymous words into categories such as food, jewelry, places and professions. The story's interpretation becomes more complex through hyponymic structure which creates multiple layers of meaning especially regarding character development and social standing and the transformation of the protagonist.