Veronica is portrayed as a young and distinctive character in this story by Adewale – Maja Pearce. The author evokes sympathetic emotions towards Veronica in a unique manner. Despite not conforming to the typical village woman stereotype, Veronica remains unfazed by the lack of hope for a better life or future. This is precisely why readers sympathize with her more than they do with Mathilde in The Necklace; Veronica’s almost superhuman capacity to accept whatever comes her way.
Mathilde and Veronica have opposite behaviors: while Veronica accepts her unlucky situations, Mathilde complains and makes her life worse. The writer initially presents Veronica to the reader by describing her family and background. It is mentioned that her father was abusive and she had a lot of responsibility for taking care of her siblings. These statements indicate that as a child, Veronica experienced physical abuse and had significant responsibilities. However, the writer purposely leaves out Veronica’s reaction, possibly to create suspense for the reader.
Instead, Maja Pearce employs descriptive detail and relatively simple sentences to inform the reader about Veronica’s upbringing. This technique evokes sympathy for Veronica, who had to endure an alcoholic father and physical abuse. The use of straightforward vocabulary when Veronica speaks highlights her simplicity, making it easier for us to understand her unassuming life. Phrases like ‘Don’t talk like that’ and ‘Don’t talk foolishness’ demonstrate Veronica’s limited education, ultimately fostering compassion for her, as education is widely regarded as crucial in life.
Veronica’s minimalistic views to life, in contrast to Mathilde’s fantasies of grandeur, highlight her lack of prospects for the future. Despite this, Veronica remains grateful and does not complain about her circumstances. This serves to create sympathy for her character. Unlike Mathilde, whose dissatisfaction leads her into a complicated situation, Veronica’s contentment with little sets her apart. The writer also generates a sense of shock for Okeke as he witnesses the poverty-stricken and disease-ridden conditions of the village.
The metaphor ‘crawling with disease’ evokes a vivid image of bacteria literally crawling and spreading throughout the village, infecting its inhabitants. This engenders sympathy from the reader. The inclusion of a subordinate clause highlights and further elucidates the dire circumstances in which the people were barely surviving. Maja Pearce generates empathy for Veronica by depicting the harsh environment that she faced in order to stay alive. Those of us who reside in Africa can personally identify with these conditions, as Malawi is a poverty-stricken nation, and hence we comprehend the hardships endured by its people.
Veronica is portrayed as a woman with unwavering acceptance of all circumstances, including adversity and misfortune. Despite lacking certain things, she speaks without bitterness, demonstrating contentment with her loved ones as her family, despite being mistreated and abandoned by them. Veronica defies typical expectations of selfless individuals by embracing her destiny instead of feeling ashamed or unhappy like Mathilde. Her ability to speak without bitterness suggests that Veronica remains unaffected by others’ actions or words, evoking sympathy for her.
The reader’s respect for Veronica is evident throughout the story and her life as she maintains her dignity. Veronica does not portray herself as a victim, which further increases the reader’s sympathy and respect for her. In contrast, Mathilde from “The Necklace” seeks to make her life glamorous despite already living a fairly comfortable life. The reader is unsympathetic towards Mathilde because her night of glitz and glamour was fake and ultimately resulted in her downfall. Mathilde brought upon herself her own demise, while Veronica accepted any situation thrown her way.
In conclusion, the writer presents Veronica as a woman who embraces life and her unfortunate circumstances. The writer effectively elicits emotions by recounting Veronica’s unhappy childhood from the start. Veronica consistently displays a submissive demeanor in the face of every challenge she encounters. By depicting Veronica’s living conditions, the writer generates sympathy for her, unlike in The Necklace where sympathy is not evoked as Mathilde already had a comfortable life but remained dissatisfied. These methods employed by the writers generate sympathy for Veronica.
