The story entitled “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is all about the

couple Mathilde and her husband, Mr. Loisel who lived in Rues des Martyrs and
who suffered for 10 long years paying their debts over a lost necklace. The
necklace cost them thirty-six thousand francs which was later found out to be a
very big amount compared to its original price at most only five hundred francs
since it was fake (the word “paste” was used by Madame Forestier, from whom
Mathilde borrowed the necklace). Mathilde, who was not used to living a simple
life, ended up a plain wife; cleaning the house, buying goods from the market
herself and has become a “woman of impoverished household”. The story told
of contentment in life and being true to oneself.

The main character was the Loisel couple –Mathilde and her husband
(whose name was not mentioned in the story). Mathilde is from a simple family.
She was married to a clerk and has an affinity on luxurious things which are
beyond her reach owing to their economic status and this saddens her a lot. This
idea is from the line: “She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but
she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station;”

Furthermore, because of this mundane longing, Mathilde has yielded to

discontent, pretense and despair. These were made evident when her husband
received an invitation from the Minister of Public Instruction and Madame
Georges Ramponneau. She wanted to be noticed but unfortunately, they didn’t
have the extravagant living. Thinking that she will look humiliating in front of rich
people without a fabulous gown or even accessories to wear, she cried and
said, “Only I have no gown and therefore, I can’t go to this ball. Give your card
to some colleague whose wife is better equipped than I am.”

On the other hand, Mathilde’s husband, Mr. Loisel, was a clerk who loves
Mathilde. This love manifests in how she dealt with his wife’s intimidation. He
willingly gave way to Mathilde’s desire by giving her the means to look as rich
and ravishing as she liked. To prove this claim, a part from the story can be
extracted. “He grew a little pale, because he was lying aside just that amount to
buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting next summer on the plain of
Nanterre, with several friends who went to shoot larks there of a Sunday; Very
well. I will give you four hundred francs. And try to have a pretty gown.”

Mr. Loisel is also a patient husband to her wife. When she lost the
borrowed necklace, he was the one who looked for it barefoot. He said, “I shall
go back on foot over the whole route, to see whether I can find it.” He was also
the one who borrowed the rest of the needed money to buy a replacement.
Both of them suffered because of Mathilde’s negligence.

Meanwhile, one of the characters who played an important role is

Madame Forestier from whom the couple borrowed the necklace. She was
rather a generous friend but downward frank. This can be proven in the story
when she answered “Why, yes, certainly” to Mathilde’s question if she can
borrow the necklace. But in the end, she told Mathilde how she looked
changed and poor.

The setting of the story has significantly reflected the kind of life the
characters have since it explicitly conveyed a picture of a simple household, a
plain housewife and a clerk husband under its roofs. Moreover, the turn of
events proved that life is indeed full of twists and turns and that one must always
be ready to reap the consequences of his actions just like Mathilde.