THE NECKLACE

A critique paper

Guy de Maupassant's most well-known literary work is the short story "The Necklace," which he wrote
in French. This story by Guy de Maupassant is set in nineteenth-century France, and it is well-known
for its unexpected conclusion. After an unfortunate occurrence, the plot centres around a young
woman and her husband, who first enjoyed a regular middle-class existence until becoming
completely penniless as a result of the tragedy. When you consider that what precipitated this event
was the young wife's dissatisfaction with her mediocre social situation as well as her passionate desire
for a life that her husband, a menial government employee, cannot provide, it is a cruel twist of fate.
As a result, "The Necklace" cautions the reader that those who are unable to appreciate what they
have and who persist in desiring what they cannot have may find themselves in much worse positions
than they are now in.

De Maupassant creates the character of Mathilde Loisel in order to elaborate on the idea that too
much discontent and materialism can lead to negative consequences. Mathilde's greatest failing is
that she simply cannot accept her middle-class social status, which comes from being the wife of a
mere government clerk. From the walls of her house to the furnishings, everything in her home is
anathema to her: they are ordinary, they are ugly, they are inelegant, and they are just poor un every
way. Mathematics devolves herself into a state of tears and sorrow for days when she considers how
unlucky she is to have been born into a life that denies her access to magnificent settings with "silent
vestibules adorned with Oriental carpets, lit by towering bronze lamps". She purposefully closes her
eyes to the monotony of her current surroundings and mentally transports herself to a completely
other one in order to console herself. In this way, while she is eating her meal at the dining table with
her husband, who is eating boiled beef with carrots, she is instead imagining herself dining with
"exquisite dishes, served in marvelous plates, of compliment whispered and heard while she was
eating the rosy flesh of a trout or the wings of quail".

Following that, De Maupassant presents a conflict that would alter the fortunes of the pair, not in the
way Mathilde would have like, but, ironically, in the opposite direction of her wishes. This begins when
Mathilde misplaces the diamond necklace that she borrowed from her wealthy friend Madame
Forester (a friend whom Mathilde greatly admired for her wealth) to go with the expensive gown that
she had emotionally wrangled from her husband in order to purchase and wear to the party that she
had been invited to. Because they are embarrassed by the idea of having to inform Madame Forrester
of their loss, the couple spends the last of their resources and takes out numerous loans to purchase a
diamond necklace that seems to be the genuine article. These debts will take them ten years to repay,
would force them to give up all they own, including their home and servant, and will turn Mathilde,
who was once beautiful and graceful, to a "robust lady, harsh and gruff, of a poor family." Her hair was
a mess, her skirts were a mess, and her hands were a mess. Her voice was loud, and she bathed the
floor with splashing water".

As if hammering home the message wasn't enough, de Maupassant adds a startling twist at the
conclusion of the narrative that manages to make the reader sit up and take notice. When Mathilde
and Madame Forester meet again ten years after the tragedy, the former learns that the diamond
necklace provided to her by the latter, which was the catalyst for the tragic turn in her life, was
actually merely costume jewelry. The fabricated nature of the diamond necklace appears to represent
the senselessness of Mathilde and her husband's sacrifices over the course of the previous 10 years. It
must have been even more terrible for Mathilde to learn that her entire life had been turned upside
down because of a piece of useless jewelry she had acquired.

"The Necklace" is a cautionary tale about dissatisfaction and excessive consumerism. De Maupassant
warns his readers that longing after material goods that are manifestly out of reach at the moment,
while overlooking the small things that one currently has, may not yield positive outcomes. The
chance that such a person would not only fail to obtain the things he desires for himself, but may also
lose the same things he already has but does not recognize as valuable.

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