Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace

This story is not only extremely ironic but it also has so much depth and symbolism involved. “The Necklace” begins by focusing on a woman that has no ability to accept her situation. She is overly materialistic to a point that is almost annoying. “She suffered constantly, feeling herself destined for all delicacies and luxuries”. At first she even seems like a spoiled women who is downright unrealistic. Guy De’ Maupassant is very clear in expressing how dissatisfied she is with her existing life, and how she believes that she is practically royalty yet unfortunately dealt the wrong hand. She was one of those pretty and charming women, born, as if by an error of destiny into a family of clerks and copyists”. At first, the opinion of her is casted in a negative light. However, it is not until reading the entire story that we realize that Mathilde Loisel is in fact just like any other woman today. By the end of the story we realize that not only the moral of her character increases but so does her strength. In the beginning of the story, Maupaussant focuses tremendously on painting a perfect picture of exactly how upset Mathilde is with her life. He also focuses on the fact that Mathilde is not content with her husband at all.

The way she speaks to him comes off very distasteful and leaves a sour feeling. Yet, not until we analyze further do we realize that her husband is as just as weak a character as herself. When he brings home the invitation to the ball her reaction is heart wrenching; “She looked at him angrily and stated impatiently, what do you want me to wear to go there? ” Here we see what’s important to her. Not the kind thought and invitation to the ball, but how she’s going to appear to the others there and what she’s going to wear. This, in my opinion is the first clue to how selfish this character truly initially is.

Eventually we see the story unfold as we learn after her husband gives her all of his savings for a dress, she is still not satisfied and wants to borrow a diamond necklace to add to the outfit. Once at the ball, she’s able to finally even if only temporary, she is able to live in her fantasy world she’s imagined so much. She bathes in the high life while her husband falls asleep. Eventually we see him bring her back to her painful reality when he says its time to leave. But what we realize is even more painful is when Mathilde realizes the necklace is gone.

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Panic and chaos ensue, and her husband runs out in the middle of the night to retrace their steps. After searching all night, the necklace has vanished and Mathilde and her husband are left with no choice but to use everything they have to buy a replacement. Ironic that this necklace was of that much importance to her that she had to have it along with a dress she couldn’t even afford, and after she lived in her fantasy world for some time, she loses the necklace along with anything else they had. Because of her need for the necklace and insistence on the piece, they now have nothing.

This is where we see Mathilde’s character begin to grow and gain so much strength as she is forced to become a tough woman and live the truly hard life. Now her original life doesn’t seem so bad. Then the story’s classic twist is revealed and we realize that the necklace was none other than costume jewelry and the Loisel’s pain was all in vain. Then this is where we begin to ask ourselves if it really all was done in vain in fact or if this adverse experience actually improved her character and was meant to happen for that purpose alone. And personally I believe this experience in fact totally improved her character for the good.

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