Guy De Maupassant was a great French writer.

He was one of the best short

story writers in the world. He was a representative of the naturalist school of
writers. He depicted human lives often in pessimistic terms. He wrote more
than three hundred stories. He also wrote novels, travel books, and poetry.

Theme of the Story

The story of ‘The Necklace’ is a satire that gives a strong message on human
values. The very first thing that this lesson teaches us is that everyone should
be content in life with whatever little that he has. One should live within one’s
means or else he invites unnecessary problems, anxieties, and confusion in
life. The most important message of the story is that we should be what we
are. There is a facade among most of the individuals that they just want to be
like someone who they are not so that they can be liked by people. But all
individuals need to learn the fact that you can't change what your policy
doesn't even need to be like someone. You are best as you are and you are
unique in your own way. Every individual has his/ her own style and if you
change that also, then what will make you unique from others will not be there
anymore. So you just need to accept yourself and move forward to improve
yourself by inculcating good qualities in yourself. If you want to improve
yourself then you need to cultivate good qualities in yourself so that you can
lead the life of a respectable person.

It is often observed that people tend to be the ones whom they think people
like more and in that process, they eventually lose their own identity. Self-
acceptance is what is lacking in today's generation. It is not about thinking
someone can not be superior to you, it is realizing and accepting the fact that
you are not inferior to anyone. You should be proud of yourself and learn to
accept your flaws and weaknesses. Only when you accept your weakness
can you improve yourself. If you seriously want to make some positive
changes in your life, then start accepting yourself just the way you are. False
pride or show-off is the cause of our sufferings. Mrs Loisel had lost the
necklace that she had borrowed from her friend and instead of confessing it to
the owner, she got into more debt and poverty to repay the amount. The story
tells us about the negative effects of pride and vanity and emphasizes the
importance of being content with what one has.

Summary of The Necklace

The story ‘The Necklace’ was written seven hundred years ago by Guy De
Maupassant in France. Matilda Loisel lived in a small flat with her husband
who worked as a clerk for the Minister of Education. Matilda was a very pretty
young lady. Neither did they live a luxurious life nor were they poor. Matilda
was very unhappy because she always thought that she was born for all
luxuries in the world but she had to live a petty and simple life.
Her husband brought an invitation to a dinner party organized by his office. He
thought his wife would be excited but instead, she was upset. She complained
that she had nothing suitable to wear to such a great occasion. Her husband
generously agreed to give her four hundred francs that he had saved to buy a
new rifle to get herself a dress. Matilda became anxious in the week of the
party. On asking her she told her husband that she had no jewellery policy
with her gown. He suggested that perhaps she could borrow something from
her friend Jeanne Forestier. Jeanne heard her story of distress and she
generously opened her box of jewels. Matilda borrowed a sparkling diamond
necklace.

Matilda and her husband attended the gala and had a great time. Matilda
looked very pretty, elegant, and graceful. Everyone at the party noticed her
and they all wanted to be introduced to her. She was so glorified by her
beauty that she became very careless. They arrived home in the early hours
of the morning. When Matilda viewed her glory in the mirror, she realized the
necklace was missing. They searched for it everywhere in the house. They
wondered if it fell in the cab that brought them home but neither of them
noticed the number. Matilda’s husband went out to search the streets but
returned empty-handed. He also went to the policeman and to the cab offices
to raise a complaint. He advertised in the newspaper and offered a reward. To
buy some time from Jeanne, Matilda wrote a letter that she broke the clasp of
the necklace and so she sent it for repair. In the meantime, they found a
similar kind of necklace. The cost of the necklace was thirty-six thousand
francs. Her husband inherited eighteen thousand francs from his father and he
borrowed the rest of the amount from the moneylenders. Finally, they
purchased the necklace and Matilda gave it to Jeanne who did not care to
look at it.

Matilda’s life changed dramatically in the next ten years. They moved to a
much smaller apartment where she cooked and cleaned herself. Her husband
did multiple jobs and she also did other work to pay all the money they had
borrowed. After ten years, they were able to pay all the money back but by
then Matilda had aged a lot.

One day, Matilda met Jeanne Forestier. She decided to confess the truth
about the necklace. Jeanne was surprised to see Matilda’s state. Matilda told
her that she had lost the necklace that she borrowed from her and had to pay
a huge amount for the replacement. Jeanne was shocked to hear the entire
story behind the necklace and she confessed that the necklace Matilda
borrowed was a fake, which was not more than worth five hundred francs.
Conclusion
The lesson of the story is ‘Honesty is the best policy. If Matilda honestly told
her friend the truth about the necklace, she would have learned that the
necklace wasn’t made of real diamonds and that would have saved her from
living a miserable life for ten years.

It is a fact that many times people either hide the truth or they just simply lie so
that they can get saved from punishment or the anger of their loved ones.
However, it should always be kept in mind that the ones close to us will never
hold us responsible for little follies, only if we tell the truth and accept our
mistakes.
Last updated date: 06th Oct 2023
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