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The Necklace

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Moral of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant Thesis

“The Necklace” is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant in 1888. The moral of the story is that individuals should be content with their current circumstances and avoid translating the fake image. The story conveys that seeking only materialistic wealth and impersonating someone a person is not led to deplorable results. Thus, “The Necklace” teaches readers that even though one might appear in a particular way, seeming rich or happy, it is not always true.

This story has a moral that is delivered through the hidden message of the work. It could be seen from the story plot, which reflects the issue of life values through the example of the main characters. Mathilde and Mr. Loisel would not have been in debt for ten years if Mathilde had not misplaced the necklace or even asked to borrow it. Because Mathilde had to borrow the jewelry to appear wealthier, she and Mr. Loisel faced adverse consequences.

The main character of the story, Mathilde Loisel, and her husband had no financial possessions; she lacked clothing and jewelry. Mathilde came from a working-class family but dreamed about “all the delicacies and luxuries of life” (Guy de Maupassant 1). She fantasized about having a lot of money, nice clothes, and a lovely home. Nevertheless, she was well aware that her ambitions were unreasonable and unreachable.

Once, Mathilde and her husband have decided to go to a ball to enjoy the posh atmosphere of the event. Even though they had no money for such occasions, Mathilde has spent all of her husband’s money to buy a pretty dress. Still not satisfied with her looks, she borrowed a beautiful diamond necklace from her friend. However, the necklace was lost at the end of the event, which left Mathilde and her husband with enormous debts. They were forced to work until the end of their lives to return the money borrowed for the necklace purchase.

The moral of the story “The Necklace” is that society should not condemn people based on their outward appearances because even though they may look wealthy and successful, it might not be accurate in reality. It educates readers not to lust for material items but to appreciate what they already have. The lesson of “The Necklace” is that individuals should not think beyond their capabilities and should be content with what they possess and who they are.

Guy de Maupassant, Henri René Albert. The Necklace . Chicago: The Dramatic Publishing Company, 1884.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Moral of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moral-of-the-necklace-by-guy-de-maupassant/.

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The Necklace: a Critical Analysis

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Published: Jan 30, 2024

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Table of contents

Introduction, plot summary, character analysis, theme analysis.

  • References:
  • De Maupassant, G. (1884). The Necklace. Retrieved from https://www.vobal.com/#/documents/history_of_literturereadersgu/the_necklace
  • Rose, N. (2020). Materialism is a Destructive force. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-to-want-what-you-have/202010/materialism-is-destructive-force

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“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Essay Example

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Oppression plays a large role in the brilliant short story by Guy de Maupassant entitled “The Necklace”.  In it, a middle-class woman, Matilda Loisel, who dreams of a luxurious life, is able to have one, glorious night at a ball, wearing a borrowed necklace of diamonds from her childhood friend.  Sometime during the night of the ball, the necklace is lost.  She and her husband go into great debt to buy a replacement, living a life of great poverty for a decade to pay off the debt they incurred to do this.  Years later, the woman meets her old friend by chance in the park and brags of how much she and her husband went through to replace the necklace, only to be told that the necklace was made only costume jewelry and “were not worth five hundred francs”.

The oppression that de Maupassant writes about in this story is two-fold.  The first kind of oppression, in the first section of the short story, comes from within Matilda herself because of her unrealistic dreams and expectations for her life.  The second kind of oppression, more concrete, comes in the second part of the story, where Matilda and her husband both have to give up what comforts they had to begin with in order to pay off the debt that they owe for the necklace.  Both kinds of oppression take their toll are Matilda (though in different ways) and both will be analyzed at length in this paper.

Inner Oppression: The Burden of Fantasy

Guy de Maupassant begins to discuss the theme of Matilda’s inner oppression (or self-oppression) in the first paragraph of the story, introducing her as “one of those pretty, charming young ladies, born….into a family of clerks” (de Maupassant 31), showing the reader from the start that there is a huge divide between Matilda’s life as it is and Matilda’s life the way she wants it to be.  It is obvious that Matilda’s middle class life, married to a clerk from the Board of Education (a worthy but not perhaps very romantic job) is very distressing for her, and she is forever fantasizing unrealistically about what her life might have been like if she had married someone “either rich or distinguished” (31).  While she sits in her apartment of “the shabby walls, the worn chairs, the faded stuffs” (31), she dreams only of “large drawing-rooms, hung in old silks, of graceful pieces of furniture carrying bric-a-brac of inestimable value” (32).

These beginning paragraphs are important to the story because they show from the very first that Matilda is a woman whose oppression comes from within herself: she oppresses herself by longing for a life that she cannot have; she oppresses herself by being unhappy and discontented with the life that she does have.  The frustration that she feels with her life is palpable in the beginning of the story and it is important because it sets the stage for, and gives impetus to, what is going to happen: i.e. the fateful night of the ball, a night which is to forever change the course of Matilda’s life.

When Matilda’s husband comes home with an invitation for the ball at the home of the Minister of Public Instruction, it seems that Matilda’s fantasies might become reality for her, but instead of jumping at the chance to live the kind of life (if only for one evening) that she always dreamed of, she shrinks away at first, asking her husband irritably, “What do you suppose I have to wear to such a thing as that?” (33) and promptly bursts into tears; she is not so distraught, though, that she cannot make a quick and shrewd estimate of how much money she can get out of her husband for a new outfit: “She reflected for some seconds, making estimates and thinking of a sum that she could ask for without bringing with it an immediate refusal…from the economical clerk” (33).  And to make her fantasy life complete, she borrows what she thinks is a fabulous necklace from her childhood friend Mrs. Forestier.

Matilda is freed from her self-oppression for one night, the night of the ball, where she gets to live her fantasy in a way that she always wanted to, and de Maupassant notes that she “was a great success.  She was the prettiest of all, elegant, gracious, smiling, and full of joy” (34).  But at the end of the evening, reality comes back in full force, and Matilda feels oppressed once again when she and her husband wrap up in “modest garments of everyday wear, whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume” (34) and Matilda wishes to get away quickly, as she feels oppressed again by “the other women wrapping themselves in rich furs” (34). In her haste, she and her husband wind up on a bit of misadventure going home and when they arrive back at their apartment, they find that Matilda has lost the necklace.  De Maupassant is well aware of what is in store for Matilda when he writes that “she removed the wraps from her shoulders before the glass, for a final view of herself in her glory” This will, indeed, be the “final view” for Matilda, for a second later, she realizes that the necklace in missing, and with that missing necklace comes the second, outer form of oppression in this story: the oppression of poverty.

Outer Oppression: The Burden of Poverty

In the fall-out from the loss of the necklace, Mr. and Mrs. Loisel replace the piece of jewelry at a tremendous cost to their middle-class household: thirty-six thousand francs, which they beg and borrow and use up their inheritance to purchase.  Whether she realized it and appreciated it or not, Matilda’s life was one of middle-class comfort before, but all that is to change with the loss of the necklace.  And now the real, outer oppression, the oppression of poverty, takes hold of Matilda’s life. De Maupassant tells the reader that Matilda “now knew the horrible life of necessity” (36), and a lot of their modest middle-class trappings have to go: “they sent away the maid; they changed their lodgings; they rented some rooms under a mansard roof” (36).  So now, the poor life that Matilda has always imagined that she led has become a poor life indeed.  Without a maid to take care of these things for her, she is forced to shoulder, “the heavy cares of a household, the odious work of a kitchen” (36) but with great sacrifice, she and her husband pay off the debt that they incurred to replace the necklace, a debt which takes them a decade to pay off.

The oppression of poverty has a terrible affect upon Matilda.  De Maupassant describes her, after this decade of economic oppression, as “a strong, hard woman, the crude woman of a poor household. Her hair was badly dressed, her skirts awry, her hands red” (37).  This is no longer the bored middle class woman with a maid who fantasized about a life of wealth, although, even in the difficulty of her poverty, she “would seat herself before the window and think of that evening party of former times, of that ball when she had been so beautiful and so flattered” (37).  The fantasy seems different now: in the first part of the story, the fantasy is the vehicle of for Matilda’s self-oppression, the way in which she tortures herself for not having the kind of life she dreams of; by the end of the story, the fantasy has becomes a means of escape from the real, outer oppression of her poverty.  The image of Matilda, resting for a while from her work and thinking for a few minutes about the one night of her life when she was free from the oppressions of her discontent – the night of her life which was also her downfall and led to the oppression of her new life of poverty – is one of the most poignant scenes in the story.

If the story ended there, it would still be tragic, but De Maupassant is not yet done twisting his knife.  In the final scene of the story, the old, hard Matilda, walking in the Champs Elysee  “to rid herself of the cares of the week” (38), runs into her old friend Madame Forestier, “still young, still pretty, still attractive” (38), in contrast to Matilda herself.  Matilda cannot help but brag to Mrs. Forestier of the diamond necklace she replaced at such a tremendous cost, only to have Forestier exclaim that the necklace was cheap costume jewelry and that Matilda has ruined her life for nothing.

To conclude, this is a poignant story about the life of a woman who is at first oppressed by the unattainable fantasies that she has for herself, and then is oppressed by the poverty which results when she tries to make her fantasies into reality.  Both the oppression of her fantasies (the oppression that comes from within herself) and the oppression of poverty (the oppression that comes from the circumstance of her life) exact a toll on her.  De Maupassant, in this story, seems to be exploring the ways in which someone’s character flaws (in this case, Matilda’s unrealistic expectations for her life) can bring about a tragic end for them.  It is Matilda’s ravenous need to act out her fantasies that leads her to borrow the necklace to begin with, then hurry away from the party because she is ashamed of her wrap and lose the necklace in the process, and thus condemn herself to ten years of pointless poverty.  She is, truly, both a victim of her own oppression and of the oppression which life lays down upon her, and the second form of oppression is a direct result of the first. One reason why this story is such a classic, why it can be read even so long after it was written by people in a very different society, is because of De Maupassant’s understanding of the ways in which people do indeed oppress themselves and of the ways in which the circumstances of their life can oppress them as well.  Both are equally tragic and seem equally difficult to combat.

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The Necklace: Summary & Analysis

The Necklace (French: La Parure) is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant in 1884. The story became an instant success, as most of the other works written by Guy de Maupassant. In the article, you’ll see its brief summary and analysis.

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The Necklace summary and timeline.

The Necklace: Summary

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant tells the reader about Mathilde Loisel , who desperately wished to marry a wealthy man. She ended up marrying Monsieur Loisel , a minor clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction. The Necklace ’s internal conflict is Madame Loisel’s embarrassment of poverty and the belief she’s worth more. She was dissatisfied with her life but has never seen anything better. Yet, she was convinced that her beauty and charm would guarantee her the wealthy lifestyle she dreamt of. Mathilde Loisel is spending her days dreaming about the incredible life she’s not having.

The rising action of The Necklace starts with an invitation. One day, Monsieur Loisel brings home an invitation to a ball hosted by his boss . He worked hard to obtain it and thought that his wife would be satisfied. However, Madame Loisel got upset with the fact she had nothing to wear. She asked her husband for 400 francs, and he hesitantly gave them to her. Yet, it wasn’t enough, and Mathilde threw another fit because she had no jewelry. Monsieur Loisel suggested she went to see Madame Forestier , who could kindly lend something. Mathilde chooses to borrow a gorgeous diamond necklace. She feels better from just looking at herself in the mirror with the jewels on her neck.

As the time of the ball arrives, Mathilde has the time of her life. Everyone admires her. Men wonder who she is. She spends the night dancing while her husband falls asleep in the other room. At 4 am, Madame Loisel rushes out into a street, so no one can see that she has no fancy fur coat. As they arrive home, Mathilde makes a sad discovery: the diamonds are gone. The loss of the necklace is the climax of the story.

They spend the next days and a week looking for a necklace. Yet, they find nothing. Mathilde writes to Madame Forestier that the necklace’s clasp is broken, and they have it fixed to buy them some time. However, the Loisels were at no luck. Therefore, they decided to buy a new necklace to replace the lost one. As they go to the jewelry store, they learn that it cost 36 thousand francs, twice the amount of money Monsieur Loisel has. The conflict of The Necklace is that to return the lost necklace, he goes into debt and buys it.

Now massively in debt, the Loisels have to change their lifestyle drastically. The falling action of the story covers the next ten years of hard work and poverty. The Loisels had to dismiss their servants and move out of their apartment. Mathilde, once dreaming about the rich life, now had to do all the housework herself. Also, she lost her beauty and charm. Now, she looked like the household’s rough woman, yet facing her part with unexpected heroism and patience. Ten years later, the debt was paid off.

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One day, after a week of hard work, Mathilde decided to take a walk. During the walk, she encountered Madame Forestier, who remained young and charming. Mathilde was hesitant about approaching her, yet still did, even though Madame Forestier had a hard time recognizing her. Once she did, Mathilde told her about the financial situation.

Madame Loisel explains that to return the lost necklace, she and her husband had to buy a new diamond necklace. Due to this, they spent the last ten years paying the debt. Madame Forestier was shocked by the story. She said that her necklace was fake and cost five hundred francs at max.

The Necklace: Analysis

It’s not apparent in the summary of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, but the story’s exposition introduces the readers to the protagonist without telling her name. The twist is that she is no princess in the fairytale. She was born to a middle-class family and had little to no chances of living in the above this class.

The analysis of The Necklace shows that Maupassant focused on realism and naturalism. The author believed that fiction should be as realistic as possible. Therefore, the desire to report events as they were explains the setting of The Necklace . Realism took its start in mid-nineteenth-century France and rejected the basics of romanticism. Such works focused on describing people and their actions with little to no subjectivity.

The Necklace: Setting

The Necklace’s plot shows readers all middle-class life elements in the example of a woman fixated on non-existent wealth , Mathilde. The action takes place in Paris, which was full of couples struggling with their finances at the time. The settings of The Necklace are also used to establish the differences between Madame Loisel’s dull home and Madame Forestier’s more comfortable house.

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Even the story’s tone is pessimistic and ironic to show the realms of nineteenth-century Paris’s life.

The author provides no reflection on the actions of the protagonist. Instead, he describes the events and desires of Mathilde as they were. In the end, there is no opinion or hidden message on what the meaning of the story The Necklace is. He reports the events.

The author’s choice of characters can also be explained by realism. At the end of the nineteenth century, Paris was full of middle-class families having a hard time getting by. Therefore, the situation described could happen to anyone there.

When looking at the marriage between the Loisels, the reader won’t find anything surprising. There is no great love between them, as well as no financial benefit.

Monsieur Loisel is attentive and tries to please his wife in possible ways. Madame Loisel, on the opposite, lives in daydreams, dissatisfied with her current life. Yet, when facing the need to pay the debt, they bravely spend years working for it.

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Maupassant devoted several paragraphs to describe Mathilde early in the story. The protagonist appears to be an environment’s product, which shows a naturalistic approach to the characterization. Mathilde was dissatisfied with the financial situation of her family, yet always remained passive. The author showed that characters like her adapt to the circumstances rather than change them.

The Necklace: Humor

The analysis of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant reveals it’s filled with humor. In general, it is a story based on situational irony. The term refers to the contradiction between the expectation of the reader and what happens. An example of situational irony is the limited value of the necklace. Moreover, the fact that upon the discovery of the loss, no one asked for its actual cost. Or that Madame Forestier decided not to share the information from the very beginning. In case the Loisels knew the price from the start, they wouldn’t have to give up their lives.

The twist of the plot, in the end, makes the reader see the story as a series of contradicting events. At first, Mathilde is the talk of the night. Then, she has almost nothing.

Until the end, some readers might interpret the protagonist’s poverty as a punishment for the night of pleasure and lost necklace. Yet, the ending reveals the dramatic irony: ten years of hard work were unnecessary. The horrible irony in The Necklace is that she spent years paying the debt for a worthless piece . What’s more ironic is that in the process of paying for something that wasn’t worth it, she lost something more important to her—her beauty. She borrowed the necklace to look more stunning but eventually lost her looks completely.

The Necklace shows the bitter irony of Mathilde’s thoughts. The conditions in which she lived, in the end, make her old life seem luxurious for her. She borrowed the necklace to look more wealthy than she is. In the end, she pays with money and her good looks. The resolution of The Necklace is Mathilde’s confession to Madame Forestier about the lost jewels. To add more, she spent years paying for something that had little value from the start.

The rhythm of the story guides the readers’ expectations about the ending. At the start, Mathilde is dissatisfied with her current life. Then, she gets invited to a ball that is the possibility to change something. Yet, the events leading to the reception only show her dissatisfaction with everything. A line of unfortunate events shows that whenever Mathilde gets whatever she wants, she remains unfulfilled. However, the time after a ball is more than a mere dissatisfaction. It is a catastrophe for her life.

Thanks for reading our analysis! We hope The Necklace ’s summary and examination were helpful to generate a topic for a paper. Or you can check the essay ideas and samples to write an analysis on the short story yourself.

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The Necklace: Summary, Themes, and a Short Story Analysis

The Necklace: Summary, Themes, and a Short Story Analysis

Tired of looking for an ultimate literature guide on Guy de Maupassant’s novella “ The Necklace ”? You have come to the right place! This article contains the Necklace analysis, summary, and plot diagram. Read till the end: we prepared a list of essay topic ideas and ready-to-use essay samples. Besides, our 100% free essays collection is always here for you!

Let’s start!

The Necklace: Summary

The necklace: plot, the necklace by guy de maupassant: analysis, the necklace: essay ideas.

Guy de Maupassant , an acceptable expert on human souls, wrote this novella at the end of the 19th century. “The Necklace” is a tragic and philosophical work.

The author tells the life story of an elegant and charming girl, Mathilde Loiselle. She is from a clerk’s middle-class family who could not afford a dowry. That is why she has no hopes of becoming a part of the upper class. In despair, she marries a petty official from the Ministry of Education.

Mathilde dreams about spacious salons, shining silver, fine dinners, and other ordinary things of the privileged. She dreams of being sought after. In reality, everything around brings her misery, starting with the poorness of her home, plain clothes, and food. Even the maid who runs their humble household evokes sadness for her unfulfilled desires.

The Necklace Quote.

Mathilde refuses to accept her life as it is. That is why she constantly cries in anguish and despair.

From time to time, she visits Jeanne Forestier, her wealthy friend. Every time she returns home, she swears she will never go there again.

One night her husband gives her a surprise. He gifts her a large envelope with an invitation to the ball. The entire higher officials, and the minister himself, are to attend that ball. M. Loisel got the invitation through a lot of effort. However, instead of getting excited, she grudgingly throws the invitation on the table.

The problem is she has nothing proper to wear. She is afraid of showing herself as a poor little slob. M. Loisel solves this challenge by giving her 400 francs he had set aside for the hunting gun.

She buys a pretty dress but still is unhappy. Now she complains she has no jewelry and looks meager and poor. M. Loisel once again comes up with a great solution. He advises her to borrow one from Mme. Forestier. She consents and goes to her friend’s house to borrow a piece of jewelry for the ball.

Mme. Forestier kindly agrees and lets her choose from a diverse collection. Mathilde spends a long time trying on each piece of jewelry until she finds the perfect one. She decides on a diamond necklace in a black satin case.

Admiring her look, she is finally happy and ready for a ball.

Her visit was a great success. Everyone was curious about her. Many of the men wanted to waltz together. The evening was unforgettable: there were no hassles and sad thoughts.

By the end of the night, she realizes it is all over for her. M. Loiselle, in turn, has to be back at his office at ten o’clock.

When they return home, she reveals her necklace is missing. Spouses start looking for it everywhere: in the folds of the dress, cloak, and pockets. But to no avail. Then the husband goes in search of the necklace on the way home. Unluckily, walking the entire route, he returns without it.

The Necklace Quote.

It is a big shame for her to admit the loss. So, they decide to replace the necklace with the similar one costing 40000 francs. M. Loisel takes 18000 francs inherited from his father. The spouses borrowed additional sums from friends, loan sharks, and moneylenders.

Having scraped together all the money, they buy a new necklace and give it back to Mme. Forestier.

Through ten difficult years, they manage to pay all debts. However, money is not everything they have paid. M. Loisel takes an additional night job of accounting and documents copying. Mathilde does heavy housework and losses her beauty and youthfulness. Everything she has is a warm memory of being admired in that one ball.

One day Mathilde suddenly bumps into still pretty-looking Mme. Forestier. Due to drastic changes, Jeanne hardly recognizes her charming old friend. Mathilde dares to tell her story of the life-changing debt. Being shocked, Mme. Forestier informs her that all the torment was for nothing. The original necklace was worth 500 francs at most.

The Neclace Plot Diagram.

Now let’s make a quick plot summary. Here are the main plot parts :

  • Exposition. The Necklace exposition introduces the readers to the no-name protagonist. She is far from being a princess from a fairytale. She is just a daughter of middle-class parents, who cannot afford to let her enter higher society.
  • Rising action. The Necklace rising action starts when M. Loisel brings an envelope with an invitation. He worked hard so the boss could host it to him. Hoping to cheer her up, he gives her a chance to attend a ball full of high society. However, Mathilde gets upset as she has nothing to wear. She borrows jewelry from Madame Forestier. After all, they’re getting ready to go to the ball.
  • Climax. Mathilde gets what she needs: being beautiful, admired, and desired. Until she realizes she lost the borrowed “diamond” necklace. That is the climax of the story.
  • Falling action. The story’s falling action is Loisels working hard to pay terrible debts taken out to replace the necklace for the next decade.
  • Resolution. The Necklace resolution is Mathilde confessing the necklace loss and replacement to Madame Forestier. She realizes that the necklace was a fake and worth nothing.

Prepare for The Necklace analysis ! The upcoming sections will introduce the main characters’ traits, central themes, and setting.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

The Necklace Main Characters.

The Necklace: Main Characters

Here is the list of the Necklace characters and their brief description:

  • Mathilde Loisel. Mme. Loisel comes from a family of clerks. Matilda has distinctive delicate and picturesque feminine beauty. As a vagrant, the girl has no chance of a lucrative marriage to find herself in a higher caste. Her delicate, fragile, subtle sense of wealth suffers outside the desired circle of high society. Mathilde eventually becomes strong and hardworking. Her former bashfulness is replaced by the simple, working-class honesty of paying their debts in full.
  • M. Loiselle. M. Loiselle is a solid character from the story’s very beginning. Mr. Loiselle, unlike his wife, does not suffer from this kind of aristocratic mania. He is proud of his work. Loiselle loves his wife and is willing to give her everything he has. He happily eats the cabbage soup that disgusts Mathilde. M. Loiselle takes the loss of the necklace with due humility. Being the man of exceptional honesty, he solves the problem by giving up his inheritance and routine life in an apartment with servants for the momentary pleasure of the woman he loves.
  • Jeanne Forestier. She is a better-off friend of Mathilde. They attended the same convent school. Mme. Forestier is a vividly bourgeois character: rich, indulgent, and unfailingly kind to Mathilde. She lets her borrow an expensive-looking necklace from the marvelous collection.

Finally, all her wealth turns out to be superficial: the necklace is made of fake diamonds. Jeanne is so used to this deception that she does not even think it is necessary to inform Mathilde about it.

The Necklace Themes.

The Necklace Themes

Now let’s look at the themes Guy de Maupassant uncovers in the story.

Guy de Maupassant begins the story by exposing the beauty and grace of the protagonist. The author questions the fundamental nature of beauty: is it something inherent or endowed with social status.

First, he examines the question through the example of Mathilde herself. She feels desired by many men at the ball. However, it is unclear: is it because of her stunning beauty or thanks to her expensive-looking necklace.

Then, Guy de Maupassant extrapolates the question on the example of the necklace. Even made of fake diamonds, it looks gorgeous as a proper attribute of the aristocracy.

As much gender played a significant role in the society of 19th century France, as it is one of the central themes in the Necklace. Mathilde is dissatisfied with her life and social status as a woman. At the same time, as a woman, she has nothing to do to change this.

The only possible option is to marry someone of the upper class. Mathilde’s beauty, intelligence, skills cannot help her. Lucrative marriage has been the only way for a better life for her and other women at that time.

Reality and Illusion

During the biggest part of the story, the author draws the protagonist’s difficulty distinguishing reality from illusion. She prefers to live in the elusive world of prosperity and banquets. On the contrary, her husband does not daydream. He enjoys his life and is grateful for life’s every single aspect.

The unexpected story’s final twist proves that appearances, especially the appearance of wealth, are often at odds with reality.

One more central idea of the Necklace is greed and its influence on one’s destiny. The author wants to tell the reader that one of the reasons for Mathilde’s ongoing anguish of a rich life is basic human greed.

Her life is not much unbearable or terrible. The problem is she can’t admit that anyone lives beyond her possibilities. That is perfectly illustrated by how desperate she is every time returning from her wealthy friend’s house.

Happiness has no deals with this short story at first sight. In reality, it is one of the story’s uplifting themes.

The initial unhappiness of Mathilde appears like her personal choice. She lives an enjoyable middle-class life. It is not that difficult to be content with it. Instead of focusing on the good things, she obsesses over what she doesn’t have, causing depressive thoughts.

Even a single moment of happiness at the ball is fleeting. The one happy night is the natural effect of a stunning look and diamond necklace rather than the real Mathilde experience.

However, once spouses have been paying debts for a decade, she seems content and nostalgic. She is happier than ever before. Having uncovered the truth about the lost necklace to Jeanne, she “smiled with a proud and simple joy.”

Let’s move on to the setting of the Necklace.

The Necklace Setting

Maupassant does not directly name the time or location. Although, he lefts many hints as to which city is the setting for The Necklace.

Using the currency, which is francs, titles “M.” and “Mme.”, naming the most famous street “Champs Élysées Avenue” let us quickly get the idea that the story’s location is in Paris, France. What’s more, the ball takes place in the heart of Paris — at the Ministry of Education.

Speaking of the time, we can draw a parallel between the ironic and pessimistic narrative tone and the realms of 19th century Paris life. The majority of middle-class families financially struggled then. The highlighting attribute is a marriage built on no more than financial benefit.

Literary Devices in The Necklace

Maupassant uses many literary devices in “The Necklace.” Once again, the story is written in an ironic, pessimistic, and tense tone. The author matches the bitter narrative with the emotional state of a protagonist.

✨ Symbolism. The most prominent literary device in the Necklace is symbolism. The Necklace is a symbol of wealth. The very Necklace represents desire and all the things she did not have in her life. Secondly, their apartment with frayed walls symbolizes her present or actual state of life and how miserable she feels.

✨ Methaphor . The Necklace metaphor is, again, the Necklace itself. It serves as a metaphor for Mathilde’s pride. Mathilde refused to go to the ball unless she had a necklace and dress worthy of her high opinion of herself. She compares herself to a beggar without a dress and a necklace.

✨ Irony . Another literary device is The Necklace situational irony . The fact that M. Loisel and her husband spend their entire life collecting money for a genuine necklace that replaces the fake one is ironic.

✨ Foreshadowing . Describing the Loisel family’s apartment, the author gives an excellent example of foreshadowing in The Necklace. Decrepit furniture, abraded chairs, curtains, worn walls disturb and torture Mathilde by being not appealing and cheap.

✨ Alliterations . Maupassant uses several alliterations in the Necklace. The phrases “humble housework,” “seductive and sought,” “dreadful debt,” and “stopped, stupefied” are examples of alliterations.

✨ Internal conflict .Internal conflict in The Necklace is that being beautiful and elegant is not a key to her happiness. She thinks happy life comes along with diamonds and luxurious halls. In reality, it’s far from that.

You’ve finally approached “ The Necklace ” essay ideas! Check them out to kickstart your paper.

Essay Topics

We gathered a list of extended essay topics and The Necklace questions to uncover in your paper.

  • What kind of character is Mathilde Loisel in The Necklace? Examine the protagonist in various circumstances: turn her inner self inside out. Describe her traits and give examples of how they influence the character’s decisions and actions.
  • What are the examples of symbolism in The Necklace ? What is a symbol in the novel? What is its role? List the symbolic elements used by Maupassant and give their detailed explanation.
  • An overview of philosophical questions raised in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant Reflect on such philosophical issues as appearance and reality, class conflict, greed, and sacrifice, illustrated in the story. How do The Necklace events reflect the reality of that time? Are they equitable as of today?
  • What is the message delivered in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant ? Formulate a message of the novel by explaining its significance, morals, author’s point of view, and appeal of The Necklace. Is there more than one thing the author wanted to tell? What did you learn from The Necklace short story?
  • Literary devices used in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant Are there any examples of figurative languages, like personification, symbolism, or similes in the novel? Make a listed overview of literary devices used in the story and give their examples. What is The Necklace’s tone?
  • The historical context of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant When and why was the story written? What influenced Maupassant to write The Necklace? How did that time influence the novel stylistically?
  • What is The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant’s climax? Study the story’s plot diagram. That events do occur in the climax? How the author develops them?
  • The actual root causes of Mathilde Loisel unhappiness in The Necklace Focus on why Mme. Loisel was unhappy and desperate about her life. Try to figure out whether it was modest living conditions or something more profound? Please share your opinion on whether you think she found her happiness.
  • Should Mathilda have told Mme Forestier what happened? What would this change? Write an opinion essay on possible story outcomes.
  • The transformation of Mathilde’s attitude to wealth through the story After losing the necklace, appearance and social status seem less critical to Matilda? Why/why not? Write a detailed explanation in your essay.

20 Essay Samples

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❓ What Are the Internal and External Conflicts in The Necklace?

The internal conflict in The Necklace is that her poverty and middle-classness saddens elegant and beautiful Mathilde. The external conflict — searching for a proper way to replace the lost fake necklace.

❓ What Is the Author’s Message in The Necklace?

The Necklace tells a story of a woman who longs for more in life and the mistake that leads to a terrible price she must pay for her dreams to come true. The author tried to question the truth about human values by telling it. His message is clear: one should be content in life with whatever they have.

❓ What Does the Necklace Symbolize?

The necklace is a symbolic element reflecting the fake perception of wealth. The old saying “all that glitters is not gold” is an excellent example of that symbol of nature.

❓ Why the Necklace Is a Good Story?

The Maupassant’s The Necklace carries a solid moral. It shows that appreciating the reality you live in is an outstanding personal trait, opposed to greed and jealousy. Life isn’t about social status or how rich you are. It is about what kind of person you are.

  • The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
  • Guy de Maupassant | Biography, Short Stories, Novels, Death — Britannica
  • Narrative Elements Explained — Lewis University
  • Literary Analysis Sample Paper — Germanna Community College
  • What is a Theme in Literature? — College of Liberal Arts
  • Setting — Purdue University Online Writing Lab
  • Literary Devices — Techniques and Elements — Pittsford Schools
  • What is Irony? | Definition & Examples — Oregon State University
  • What is Foreshadowing? — Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms
  • Literary Techniques: Metaphor — Matrix Education
  • Symbolism — Del Mar College
  • Conflict in Literature — Madison County Schools
  • Primer: Literary Purpose — Austin Community College
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Glam

How To Style A Statement Necklace To Make It The Focus Of The Outfit

T here are so many different elements of fashion that one can play around with. The most creative among us will attest to the sheer joy of experimenting with different outfits, silhouettes, patterns, fabrics, and of course, accessories! Statement necklaces — the bolder the better — are one of the easiest ways to make a style statement with fashion accessories. In fact, XXL jewelry is on trend for 2024 . For those who haven't played with statement necklaces before but are keen to dip their toes into this trend, one easy way to start is with statement pendant necklaces . Others may already own many different kinds of bold pieces, from the chunky to the sparkling.

Whatever the case may be, you may have wondered how best to style a statement necklace to make it the focus of your outfit. Should it be paired with basic clothing, neutral colors, or low necklnes? The answer is yes, yes, and yes, but there are always exceptions. Follow our best tips and you won't have to face this quandary.

Read more: 14 Fashion Rules That Are Made To Be Broken

Layer It Over A Sheer Turtleneck

You may be of the opinion that crewnecks or turtlenecks don't pair well with statement necklaces. But this is far from the truth. Turtlenecks in a lighter color palette, or in a sheer fabric, make the perfect backdrop to let your statement necklace shine, no matter its style or size.

Rock It With A Blazer

A surefire way to draw attention to your neck piece is by wearing a statement necklace in a choker or layered style with a blazer or blazer dress. The low and deep V-neck of the garment ensures that your necklace will pop against your beautiful skin, and offset masculine and feminine elements well.

Be Bold In An Off-Shoulder Style

Styling them over bare skin is perhaps the best way to show off your statement necklaces. One way to do this is by pairing them with off-the-shoulder tops, corsets or dresses. The focus will most certainly be on your neck piece in this case.

Pair It With A V-Neck

If an off-shoulder style is too intimidating for you to wear but you still want to show off your beautiful statement necklace on bare skin, why not wear a deep V-neck top in a spaghetti strap or halterneck style? Match with extra-long glamorous earrings to let the world know you're shining.

Stick With Neutral Colors

The thing about neutral colors like black, white, beige, and gray, is that they provide an even canvas for you to experiment. They also allow you to accessorize or wear a complementary statement piece such as a bright red lipstick, patterned scarf, or statement necklace, which stands out well with the muted backdrop.

Layer Multiple Statement Necklaces Together

Sometimes, a single statement necklace isn't enough to pack a punch. In that case, you can easily layer statement necklaces together to achieve an impactful fashion look and ensure that the necklaces remain the focal point of your outfit. While doing this trick, be sure to find necklaces in complementary styles so they don't clash with each other.

Make An Unusual Pairing With A Collared Shirt

Making your statement necklace the focal point of your outfit means that it must stand out. This can certainly be achieved by layering it on top of a buttoned-up collar. Reach for a white shirt and cardigan to contrast preppy and glam vibes, or throw on a denim shirt for an edgier look. If the statement necklace is ornate, it will pack even more of a punch.

Read the original article on Glam .

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COMMENTS

  1. How should a thesis statement for "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant

    A more sympathetic thesis statement might argue that she was a woman who had an unfortunate accident in losing the necklace on her one big night out and suffered unduly. A good thesis statement is ...

  2. Literary Analysis of The Necklace: Essay Example

    The Necklace (La Parure) is one of the most famous short stories by Guy De Maupassant. It tells a story about a middle-class French couple in the 19th century. The wife is longing for a luxurious life, unappreciative of her husband, and a relatively happy life the couple is leading. Madame Loisel spends her time dreaming about all the luxuries ...

  3. The Necklace Literary Analysis Essay Essay (Review)

    The Necklace: Analysis of the Story's Ending. By using Mathilde as the protagonist in the story, Maupassant is able to create an ironic ending that the readers do not expect. Several moral lessons can also be learnt when one reads of the calamity that befalls Mathilde and the husband. The character of Mathilde has changed drastically at the ...

  4. Guy de Maupassant: "The Necklace"

    The Necklace: Introduction. Written by Guy de Maupassant in 1881, The Necklace is a captivating short story that ends in a surprise. It is the most eye-catching work of Maupassant with all words contributing to the events that the narrative unfolds. It has garnered him a lot of acknowledgment.

  5. The Necklace Themes

    Reality and Illusion. In "The Necklace," Guy de Maupassant demonstrates that appearances—especially the appearance of wealth—are often at odds with reality. Attempting to appear richer than she truly is, Mathilde Loisel borrows a diamond necklace from her friend Jeanne Forestier and then loses it at a ball. She and her husband buy an ...

  6. Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace": A+ Student Essay Examples

    3 pages / 1181 words. In the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, the class a person is born into is everything. The class you hold controls your life, your actions, and even your career. In this story, a beautiful woman named Mathilde Loisel is born into a... The Necklace Social Class.

  7. The Necklace Study Guide

    In addition, "The Necklace" takes place in late-nineteenth century Paris, a highly unequal and class-based society. The upper classes were populated by wealthy and powerful capitalists, leaving very little room for the rest of the population. "The Necklace" faithfully depicts this extreme inequality as Mathilde Loisel moves between the ...

  8. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

    The necklace Mathilde borrows is not worth more than 500 francs. However, she believes them to be genuine diamonds and replaces them with a more expensive necklace. This is a symbol of her own life.

  9. The Necklace Summary & Analysis

    Analysis. Mathilde Loisel is a pretty and charming woman who was born, "as if through some blunder of fate," into a middle-class family. Without a dowry or a point of entry into high society, she is unable to find a wealthy husband, and so she marries M. Loisel, a clerk who works for the Ministry of Education.

  10. Moral of "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant Thesis

    The moral of the story is that individuals should be content with their current circumstances and avoid translating the fake image. The story conveys that seeking only materialistic wealth and impersonating someone a person is not led to deplorable results. Thus, "The Necklace" teaches readers that even though one might appear in a ...

  11. The Necklace: a Critical Analysis

    C. Thesis statement: This essay will analyze the characters, themes, and symbolism in "The Necklace" to understand the message conveyed by the author and how it is relevant to our society today. Plot Summary. Mathilde Loisel, a beautiful but unsatisfied housewife, dreams of a luxurious lifestyle and social status above her current middle-class ...

  12. "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, Essay Example

    Oppression plays a large role in the brilliant short story by Guy de Maupassant entitled "The Necklace". In it, a middle-class woman, Matilda Loisel, who dreams of a luxurious life, is able to have one, glorious night at a ball, wearing a borrowed necklace of diamonds from her childhood friend. Sometime during the night of the ball, the ...

  13. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant: Summary & Analysis

    The Necklace: Summary . The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant tells the reader about Mathilde Loisel, who desperately wished to marry a wealthy man.She ended up marrying Monsieur Loisel, a minor clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction. The Necklace's internal conflict is Madame Loisel's embarrassment of poverty and the belief she's worth more.. She was dissatisfied with her life but has ...

  14. How should a thesis statement of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant be

    How should a thesis statement of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant be written? Thesis Statements: A thesis statement is a clear and usually arguable statement of an writer's position in an essay. In a literary analysis essay, the thesis presents the reader's analysis of a text, usually based on a literary element. ...

  15. The Necklace: Summary, Themes, and a Short Story Analysis

    The Necklace: Summary. Guy de Maupassant, an acceptable expert on human souls, wrote this novella at the end of the 19th century. "The Necklace" is a tragic and philosophical work. The author tells the life story of an elegant and charming girl, Mathilde Loiselle.

  16. Thesis Statement For The Short Story Necklace

    In "The Necklace" Madame Loisel's vain desires cause many conflicts and her ultimate downfall. One small conflict in the story is Madame Loisel vs. her husband. I need a thesis statement for the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. The thesis statement has to be worded exactly like the following "The theme of The ...

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    Thesis Statement This paper theorizes and analyzes the literary signification and critical explication of Guy de Maupassant's short story, 'The Necklace', as supported by the following theories of literary study; using historicism, mimesis, marxism, feminism and psychology. Discussion Historicism and Mimesis In 19th-century French society, the class hierarchy kept many men and women from ...

  18. The Necklace Thesis

    The Necklace Thesis. "Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies." (Dorothy Allison). This quote is perfect for the short story "The Necklace". Had Mathilde Loisel a beautiful woman who dreams of a richer life seen this quote the story would have ended differently. The second she refuses to tell Jeanne a ...

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    Thesis for "The Necklace". Thesis for "The Necklace " The meaning of Moupassant's "The Necklace " is that one should not fall into the trap of wishing for better things and not recognizing what one has to be thankful for. Moupassant uses the main character‚ Mme. Loisel‚ to illustrate this point as she struggles with her self-image ...

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    Thesis for "The Necklace". The meaning of Moupassant's "The Necklace" is that one should not fall into the trap of wishing for better things and not recognizing what one has to be thankful for. Moupassant uses the main character, Mme. Loisel, to illustrate this point as she struggles with her self-image and her desire to always be ...

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    Sometimes, a single statement necklace isn't enough to pack a punch. In that case, you can easily layer statement necklaces together to achieve an impactful fashion look and ensure that the ...