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.