a conclusion the necklace

silhouette of a woman wearing an ornate necklace

The Necklace

by Guy de Maupassant

What is the conclusion of "The Necklace"?

The conclusion of "The Necklace" reveals the truth of the necklace to Mathilde Loisel. She and her husband have spent the last ten years sacrificing all comforts in order to repay the debt they incurred from replacing the necklace which Mathilde had lost. On the final day in the story, Mathilde runs into the friend who had loaned her the necklace. Madame Forestier reveals that the necklace which Mathilde had borrowed consisted only of imitation diamonds.

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After working for a decade to repay their debt, the Loisels have finally accomplished their goal. Mathilde Loisel wears the visible effects of her labors; she now looks old and haggard with disheveled hair and red hands. She has spent ten years living in poverty, arguing with the butcher and the grocer over every halfpenny in order to stretch their income as far as possible as they repay various loans. But they have finally done it, and on the final day of the story, Mathilde seems to be taking a moment to relax as she walks along the Champs Élysées to "refresh herself."

At this moment, she spies the friend who had loaned her the fateful necklace. Madame Forestier is still beautiful and still looks young; hard work has altered Mathilde's appearance so much that her former friend no longer recognizes her. When she speaks to Madame Forestier, Mathilde discloses that she has endured great hardship over the past decade and blames it on Madame Forestier.

Madame Forestier is understandably taken aback, having no idea that Mathilde had not returned the exact necklace that she had borrowed. Mathilde confesses that she had lost her friend's necklace all those years before and had borrowed money to replace it. She informs Madame Forestier that she and her husband have worked for the last ten years to repay their debt.

Madame Forestier is "deeply moved" because she realizes the shocking mistake of her former friend. She reveals to Mathilde that the necklace was only made of imitation diamonds and "worth five hundred francs at most." Thus, Mathilde has lost the last ten years of her life repaying a debt for a necklace that was ultimately worthless.

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"Conclusion of the necklace" Essays and Research Papers

The Necklace

with the truth then to try to remember their lie. They also need to be grateful and happy with the things they have and the lifestyle they live because it could always be worse. Guy de Maupassant makes honesty the most important lesson of "The Necklace ". By pointing out that the characters could have avoided their unhappiness by being honest‚ he reminds readers that they too may suffer consequences from dishonesty. Maupassant started the dishonesty almost immediately. Mistress Loisel was not

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The Necklace It tells the tale of a dissatisfied middle-class woman whose dreams of wealth and glamour end in disaster. Mathilde Loisel is middle class woman and has a kind husband. However‚ she is cooped up in the house all day with nothing to do‚ and her days are marked with boredom beyond belief. Her only way out of dealing with it is to live in a fantasy world of glamour‚ wealth‚ and beautiful people. Does that situation really seem all that far-removed from today? In many ways‚ the figure

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to be some one your not? In “The Necklace ” author Guy De Maupassant describes the story of a young woman who no matter how much she has‚ she wants more. Mathilde is a beautiful woman but is only middle class. She wants nothing more than to be rich and have a big home. She borrows a necklace from a friend to go to a ball and she looses the necklace . She works for ten years to pay off the necklace and when she goes back to repay the woman‚ she is told the necklace is a fake. Through the use of narrative

The necklace

“The Necklace ” Guy De Maupassant She was one of those charming girls‚ born by a freak of destiny in a family of toilers. She had no fortune‚ no expectations‚ no means of satisfying her ambitions‚ except by a marriage with a rich and distinguished man‚ and‚ as she knew none‚ in order to escape from her surroundings‚ she married a clerk in the office of the Minister of Public Instruction. She dressed simply‚ because she had no means of adornment; but she was as unhappy as though she had fallen

unsympathetic character who brings about her downfall and deserves her fate. How far do you agree with this assessment of her character? Remember to comment on how language‚ view point and tone convey character and meaning in the story. In‘The Necklace ’‚ Guy de Maupassant introduces a character full of faults. Indeed Mathilde Loisel comes across as a wholly unsympathetic protagonist for whom the reader feels nothing but contempt. She accepts neither her rank‚ nor her way of life. It seems obvious

The Necklace theme and narrative elements in a short story Robert Rois English 125 July 9‚ 2012 Katherine Ness Santana The Necklace theme and narrative elements in a short story The story of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant was written during the realism period. The reason why the story was done during the realism period because people wanted reality to be accurate. Realist literature often focused on the middle class lives that stir up the tragic lives of Mathilde and her husband with

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The Irony of “The Necklace ” “The Necklace ” has a few different examples of irony in it. Of course it is ironic how the necklace ended up being fake‚ but it is also ironic that Mme. Forestier lied about the necklace being real. Many people think the theme to be to not tells lies and to just be honest‚ and then this would not have happened to Mathilde‚ but Mathilde was not the only one who lied. There is great irony in the fact that the necklace ended up being fake‚ and also that both women lied

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The Necklace By Guy de Maupassant Everything happens for a reason‚ for which there is some good behind it; as one shall say. Mathilde Loisel‚ a fictional character who doesn’t fit into this quote and is an example of a person who does the exact opposite. A poor women living with regret in her life for not having what she wants. She hates everything she has and thinks she deserves much more‚ and not being grateful for what she does have. She doesn’t take the correct actions which brings

Question ‘The Necklace ” is a popular story. Discuss the features that make the necklace a popular story. “The Necklace ” by Guy de Maupassant is a well-known short story around the world. It was first published in the Paris newspaper Le Gaulois on February 17‚ 1884. "The Necklace ” features a young‚ beautiful woman in a social situation that she finds distasteful. Mathilde Loisel attempts to escape her social situation in life‚ but her scheming actions ultimately doom her. Some of the features

Connor Breaux Mrs.Malbrough 3rd hour November 15‚ 2012 “The Necklace ” and “The Gift of the Magi” Compare/Contrast Have you ever read a short story and learned a life lesson from it? Well in one story “The Necklace ” Madame Loisel looses a diamond necklace and replaces it with a real one‚ but the one she lost wasn’t real. The other story the “Gift of the Magi”‚ Della and her husband both don’t make a lot of money‚ but want to get each other something for Christmas. Both have to get rid of

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Theme: The Necklace Danielle Ochoa ENG125: Introduction to Literature (ABI1113A) Julie Pal-Agrawal April 4‚ 2011 Theme: The Necklace I am a strong believer in being grateful for everything you have been blessed with because no matter how you might see it‚ life could always be worse. In the short story‚ The Necklace ‚ the writer uses character‚ symbolism‚ and tone to display the theme that we should play the cards we are handed rather then lusting for something that is unreal because we could

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Research Paper The stories that caught my attention that I chose to use for my research paper were “The Necklace ” by Guy de Maupassant and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin. This both led to characterization their attitudes and way of being. In both stories they seem to want things in life that they can’t have and suffer consequences towards the end of the story. Both stories feature young beautiful women in a social situation that they find distasteful. The life they dream of will

The Necklace In "The Necklace " by Guy De Maupassant‚ Mrs. Loisel believes that the idea of beauty is shown by wealth and power in society. She believes that she was supposed to be born into the life of luxury‚ but instead is having to live a poverty lifestyle. Mrs. Loisel borrows the "perfect" necklace and wears it to a high society event that she desires to belong in. She ends up wasting ten years of her life trying to keep a friend that lives a high society life. Maupassant describes Mrs.Loisel

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Motifs Coveting Throughout “The Necklace ‚” Mathilde covets everything that other people have and she does not. Whereas Monsieur Loisel happily looks forward to having hot soup for dinner‚ Mathilde thinks only of the grandness of other homes and lavish table settings that she does not own. When Monsieur Loisel obtains an invitation for a party‚ she covets a new dress so that she can look as beautiful as the other wives as well as jewelry so that she does not look poor in comparison to them

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The Necklace : Mathilde’s Materialistic and Selfish Strive to a Happy Life The Necklace is a short story by Guy de Maupassant. It begins with a explanation of Madame Mathilde Loisel. Though she is young and pretty‚ she and her husband are not well off financially. Her husband is only a clerk in the ministry of education. Mathilde is a very worldly person who is never content with anything in her life. Her husband is not a rich man‚ but he brings home enough to get by. Mathilde has always dreamed

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant. How does the writer try to make the character of Madame Loisel interesting for the reader in “The Necklace ”? The Necklace is a self-contained French story with a surprise ending. It is structured into narrative and four dialogues. The writer uses literary devices such as peripeteia‚ poetic justice‚ a twist ending and descriptive writing to make the story interesting for the reader. Everything centres on the twist ending‚ but the effectiveness depends on the events

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The Necklace By Guy De Maupassant Critical Analysis In The Necklace ‚ by Guy De Maupassant uses materialism‚ conflict and character to show how some people are never satisfied with what they have and always wanting more no matter at what cost. The story focuses on two main characters‚ Mathilde a very materialistic person and her husband‚ a clerk who is not wealthy by any means but makes enough money to get by. Mathilde is a very selfish person in the story and abuses the love that her husband

Mikayla Jacobs Grade: 12A Prepared oral: The Necklace The character of Matilda Loisel The young‚ beautiful and charming Matilda Loisel was born into a family of clerks. Her conviction that her place in life was a mistake of destiny leads her to live her life in constant rebellion against her circumstances. Madame Loisel had everything a woman of her social class was supposed to have like a loving husband and a comfortable home but she is unaware of it because all she worried about was being

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In The Necklace ‚ Guy De Maupassant uses various methods and techniques in order to present the main character‚ Mathilde Loisel In The Necklace ‚ Mathilde Loisel is presented as a hopeful ‘Glamour girl’. She finds the idea of glamour and the pretty and expensive gifts that come with it very appealing‚ however‚ unfortunately for her; she was not born into a life of wealth or money. Rather than living the life of her dreams‚ she gets married to a ‘little clerk’ husband in an upstairs apartment‚ which

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The Necklace About the Author Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5‚ 1850‚ to an affluent family at the Chateau de Miromesnil‚ in France. As a child‚ Guy adored his mother and loathed his absent father. His mother was very literary and passed on her love of books to her son‚ Guy‚ and his brother‚ Herve. Much of Guy’s childhood was spent in the countryside playing sports or simply spending time outdoors. Point of View Third-Person Omniscient The story’s focus is certainly

Literary Analysis of The Necklace: Essay Example

The necklace: introduction of the essay, the necklace by guy de maupassant: characterization, the necklace essay: conflict and narration, the necklace by guy de maupassant: setting and atmosphere, the necklace essay: tone, language, and major theme, the necklace essay: critical perspective, the necklace: conclusion of the essay.

“The Necklace” (“La Parure”) is one of the most famous short stories by Guy De Maupassant. It tells a story about a French middle-class couple in the 19 th century. The wife is longing for a luxurious life, unappreciative of her husband, and relatively happy life the couple is leading. Madame Loisel spends her time dreaming about all the luxuries they cannot afford to purchase while experiencing a feeling of shame for their actual life. The events described in the story reveal the features of the character of the heroine, which eventually leads her to live a life far poorer than she used to lead. An unexpected and ironic outcome provides a complex moral lesson that the readers are supposed to learn along with Madame Loisel. In the end, she learns that her image of high society was not real; the lack of appreciation of her moderate but sufficient fortune led to a disastrous outcome, and her husband’s efforts to provide for her went undeservingly unnoticed. The deceptiveness of appearances is the major theme of the story.

The main heroine, Madame Loisel, comes from a family of clerks. With no dowry and no hopes of being married to a wealthy man, she becomes the wife of a clerk from the Ministry of Education. Mathilde does not enjoy her life, as it is far too modest. She believes she was born to lead a lavish lifestyle and spends her time imagining the rich and luxurious surroundings she deserves (Maupassant 789). The emotions she experiences because of her poor lifestyle are rather strong, as she regards it as a misfortune and even an insult. Mathilde does not appreciate her husband’s efforts to provide for her at all costs. Upon receiving an invitation to a high society soirée, she is miserable due to the lack of clothing and jewelry that would be worthy of a well off and distinguished person.

Monsieur Loisel is a generous and loving husband. In an attempt to please his wife, he denies himself the pleasure of buying a gun, giving up the money for Mathilde’s gown for the ball. Monsieur Loisel is attentive to his wife’s changing moods and gives her a valuable piece of advice on how to get the jewelry they cannot afford. During the soirée, he does not attempt to tarnish his wife’s delight at being appreciated and admired, and sleeps in a waiting room until four o’clock in the morning, even though he must be at work four hours later. Monsieur Loisel displays the qualities of a loving and attentive husband, striving to please his wife. Madame Loisel, however, does not appreciate his attention, as she regards him as an unimportant figure in society, unable to afford to lead a luxurious lifestyle.

There is a third-person narration in the story, with an omniscient point of view, providing us with the innermost thoughts and feelings of the main characters. The conflict described by Maupassant in this short story revolves around Mathilde and the lost necklace. Striving to fit in with the members of high society, Madame Loisel is willing to borrow a diamond necklace from a friend, which she loses after the soirée. Due to her pride, she is unable, to tell the truth. She is ashamed of the fact that they cannot afford to replace such expensive jewelry. Therefore, the conflict of the story is tied to the lost necklace and the couple’s desperate struggles to repay the debt, which leads them in the end to life in poverty, a complete opposite of what Mathilde has always wanted.

“The Necklace” is set in 19 th century Paris, the Belle Époque. It includes descriptions of middle-class interiors, as well as of high society’s lavish lifestyle. Material things are described through Mathilde’s daydreaming about the luxurious life she was meant to lead. Her actual surroundings are described as ugly and poor, making her suffer greatly. The atmosphere of the story could be seen as dynamic since it changes as the plot evolves. Before losing the necklace, the atmosphere seems rather light and ironic. The reader follows Mathilde’s “sorrows” with a hint of a smile, perceiving her capriciousness and the lack of appreciation for her husband’s affection as typical qualities in a vain young wife. However, after the necklace is lost, there is a substantial shift in the atmosphere. Superficial vanity gives way to the pride that drives the couple to the brink of poverty. The light atmosphere of the first part is followed by the gloomy atmosphere of the last part, with an ironic twist at the end, meant to stress the moral lesson.

The tone is the attitude the author conveys by presenting the events and characters in a certain way. Certain elements of linguistic features indicate the author’s ironic attitude towards the main heroine. For instance, his use of the words “suffer,” “insult,” “torment,” “despair,” and “misery” to show Mathilde’s vainness and her inability to appreciate her life. The husband’s rhetorical question uttered at dinner, “What could be better?” is contrasted with her dreams about a luxurious lifestyle. The second part of the story, where the couple is forced to work hard in order to pay off their debt indicates the pride of the main heroine: “She played her part heroically” (Maupassant 793).

Aside from irony, Maupassant uses symbolism as a way to convey the main theme of the story. The necklace symbolizes the high society Mathilde is so eager to join. However, as the necklace turns out to be a mere imitation, it symbolizes the superficial nature of the upper class’ appeal. The fake necklace is a symbol of illusion that Madame Loisel is captivated by, which eventually leads to a disastrous outcome. Thus, the major theme of the story lies in the idea that notions such as beauty, wealth, poorness, and happiness depend on an individual’s perception. The appearances of upper-class lifestyles were deceptive, just as Mathilde’s appearance at the soirée, where she was such a success. However, neither the necklace nor Mathilde’s seemingly luxurious appearance was real, which leads us to believe that Maupassant wanted to stress the importance of illusory nature of appearances, in which the 19 th -century French bourgeoisie was so immersed.

From the standpoint of sociological/Marxist criticism, Madame Loisel is a member of the middle-class, an aspiring member of the upper class, and, in the end, a member of the lower class. The inability to accept her position in society and a constant yearning for a wealthier life lead the couple to find themselves at the bottom of the social structure. The amount of expensive material possessions is indicative of the class the people belong to, as well as of their social status. Mathilde is deceived by the superficial signs of wealth, leading eventually to becoming a member of the servant class.

“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant tells the story of a woman preoccupied with her desire to be wealthy and to belong to the upper class. The ironic twist at the end of the story renders her perception inconsistent with reality. As the plot unravels, the deceptiveness of appearances turns out to be the main reason for the disastrous outcome.

Maupassant, Guy De. “The Necklace.” Short Fiction. Classic and Contemporary. Ed. Charles Bohner and Lyman Grant. Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006. 789-795. Print.

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Guy de Maupassant: “The Necklace” Essay

The necklace: introduction, deceptiveness of appearance, the necklace: conclusion, works cited.

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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.

The tale is set in Paris, France specifically covering Loisel’s home and the neighborhoods, ministry of education inclusive. Employing the elements of literature, Maupassant has used characters like monsieur Loisel, a clerk in the ministry of education, Mathilde, Loisel’s wife, Madame Jeanne Forestier, Mathilde’s neighbor and friend, Housemaid, Mathilde’s house servant, among others.

The writer takes the reader through the life of these characters and in particular, the poor family of Loisel and the rich family of Forestier. It unfolds that the kind of life depicted by these two categories of people is far from the reality. This illustration builds up the prevailing theme of the narrative ‘the deceptiveness of appearance’, which the writer employs to show how people are deceived by the appearance of others.

Mathilde is a reasonably attractive girl regardless of her unfortunate family backgrounds. She regrets much owing to this poverty because she always compares herself with the other girls from well up homes. For instance, Forestier’s family is rich. She gets married to a mere government clerk. The ministry of education organizes a party for all its staff members, giving them a chance to invite their wives or husbands.

Ironically, thinking that this would thrill his wife, Loisel on delivering the invitation, realizes that it is more of a stress than joy to her. “Instead of being delighted, she threw the invitation on the table with disdain murmuring…” (Maupassant 39). The reason behind this is that she lacks elegant dresses and necklaces like other women, a case that makes her imagine how odd she can be if she attends the occasion.

They end up borrowing these from Forestier, but unfortunately the necklace gets lost after the event, an incidence that costs Loisel’s family virtually everything as they toil for ten years looking the money to purchase another one. They finally buy 36000 francs worthy necklace but on returning it to Forestier; she reveals its cost as just 500 francs. They are now in a severe financial crisis, though had they realized the truth, this would not be the case.

A major problem that the writer fails to clarify is whether Forestier resells the necklace to refund the extra money in order to reduce the debt incurred or not. This paves way to criticisms of his story, though he has managed to develop the dominant theme of the story. Mathilde stands out in the party as a rich and a high class wife owing to the diamond-appearing necklace that the people fail to realize that it was borrowed.

Still on this theme, Forestier’s family is depicted as financially stable. It can afford some of the expensive things that poor families imagine of. Forestier has, not only one but many of them, unlike her counterpart Mathilde.

She wears them when attending great occasions, a case that earns her a good deal of recognition from other people. This is what Mathilde is yearning for. She wants to appear like her friend. She wants people to view her as rich. The writer shows how she longs for a recognized family name as well as an expensive dowry. By this she feels that she will appear like other rich families.

She is pictured as one, who is ever working towards achieving this reality, though what she publicizes is not what is on the ground. For instance, in the party, she appears the most elegant, a situation that makes all people want to chat with her, owing to what they are seeing, an expensive looking dress and a diamond necklace, but little do they know about the truth of the matter.

Following the issue behind Forestier’s necklace, it stands out that it is not made of diamond as people perceive. Though what appears in their eyes is the diamond look on the necklace, the story ends when Forestier reveals that it is just a mere coating. To strengthen his theme, the writer wants to show how the rich end up deceiving other people through their possessions.

Most of them appear costly before the eyes of people but rarely are they in their real senses. The value attached to some items, owing to their appearance, turns out to be many times different from their real values. For instance, the necklace appears 72 times expensive. The writer succeeds in showing how people mistake the rich people.

They have been portrayed as just appearing as if they are rich, which is not the case. Worthy noting is that the writer does not clarify about the child who appears to walk with Forestier. It is not clear whether he is intending to elaborate his theme further by introducing images of people who are not real characters, or not. This again welcomes criticisms to his works.

Though dead and forgotten, Maupassant works speak volumes of his existence. The ideas behind his Necklace narrative stands out clear today. The issue of appearance is now everywhere with people struggling to hide their real selves in order to mislead others. Items have been manufactured bearing a false identity of others only to trick people. This is the kind of life that the writer was prophesying through the use of his major theme ‘the deceptiveness of appearance’ that he develops through the different characters.

Maupassant, Guy. “The Necklace” France: Word Press, 1881. P. 38-44.

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“The Necklace” is a good instance to the manner of greed that all of people have at any or every time of their life. The writer settles this situation on the tale and characteristic of Mathilde Loisel who is the protagonist of the story. Moreover, we can think her as a representation of any person’s trait on the earth today. Although Mathilde has a natural beauty, she still wants more and more as she think to let herself feeling completed and desirable in the thoughts of people in the community.

She was born in an upper-middle class family which means that they are neither poor nor rich people in terms of possessions, and she assumes that there is no other choice to have a wealthy life if she does not marry with a rich man, but unfortunately, she can just have a marriage with a county attorney who has a low salary from his job and can not satisfy her about the life in her dreams.

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“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

Even though he brings an invitation for her to a ball, she does not please with it, and makes the wish of a dress which can be proper to a ball, but when she gets the dress, she still does not satisfy, and this time, she makes the wish of a good looking jewel from one of her friend whose name is Madame Forestier. She is the most shining guest of the ball with the necklace which she get from her friend, but after the ball finishes, she realises that there is no jewel on her neck, and she loses the necklace.

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Although her husband and she search for it, they can not find, so they decide to compensate the price of necklace, and work for ten years in hard works and conditions.

Therefore, if we make an analysis about the conclusion by thinking the necklace as a real one, we can conclude that most probably the greedy manner of Mathilde causes ten years poverty of Loisels because she chooses the most priceless jewel if she does not, maybe her husband and she do not have to work for ten years in those conditions. Actually Mathilde has a narrow viewpoint and thought about her glory and power which can just came with the possibility of richness in money. Therefore, she has to bear with the conclusion of her greedy characteristic even she works so hard for a long time, she still does not have a life that she desire, but she becomes poorer and poorer.

Those hard years also take beauty of her and make her appearance older than her fellows. Furthermore, she puts her husband in a very difficult and stressful condition. By working three jobs, he tries to come up with the problem which is caused by eternal greed and mindless traits of Mathilde. Therefore, we understand that it is important to have a close look at the greedy personality of Mathilde in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant because everyone can cause a tragic fault because of this personality as Mathilde does. We will examine the greedy manners of Mathilde in two parts. Firstly,her greed against her husband, Monsieur Loisel,and secondly, her greed against her friend, Madame Forestier.

The greedy manners of Mathilde are appeared against her husband, Monsieur Loisel in many time in the house. For instance, Mathilde has a relax and comfy life, she has an employee and a lot of food on the shelves, but she wants more, and she is not pleased with what she has as a decisively greedy person. She has a life which is comfy enough to have one employee, but her wish is having two or three maybe. Moreover, she has lots of food on her shelves, but she is in dreams more delicate food and nutrition. Besides, she has a natural beauty, this is enough for a non greedy person, but she also wants more and more in beauty,as well.

Actually she is both greedy and narrow minded person because she thinks that appearance of a woman much more adorable with some precious jewels or such kind of things and fashionable dresses, so her greedy personality make her mind more narrow and thinks that actual beauty is provided with materialistic matters. Although her husband try to provide a good and comfy life for his wife by working in a difficult job, she does not appreciate, and thinks that she deserve much more than this condition. However, till the time she loses the necklace and put her husband and herself in difficult conditions and works to compensate the price of it, she does not know even the meaning of poverty, but now she understands how her greedy characteristic cause to a suffering conclusion.

It is realised the greedy personality of Mathilde in two times against her friend, Madame Forestier. Firstly, when she reaches her house, yet she wants her friend to show her several jewels for ball as we can see while a normal person wishes only one or two jewels, she wishes more than one because she thinks to choose the best one among those jewels, so we see her greed clearly. However, she does not satisfy with them. Secondly, she wants to see some more even so Madame Forestier is surprised to his greed and hunger, and when Mathilde sees the necklace, she is stunned with its magnificence appearance by unknowing it’s falseness.

To conclude, sometimes people try to reach their purposes, and want to success what they intend, many of them exaggerate the feeling of hunger like Mathilde. Unfortunately, with the story of Mathilde we see that she has to come up with the conclusion of her greedy characteristic, and she sacrifices her best identity, her beauty and her ten years age in return of her greed in materialistic possessions. Firstly, Mathilde does not satisfy with the invitation to the ball, and she wishes for a dress then she does not pleased only with her dress and wishes for a jewel from her friend. This is fault of her life because of her greed. If she was not still be greedy, she would not take the jewel,and there would be no loss of it. Therefore, if we do not pleased with our life or any possession, and even though, we are in a condition which any normal person can bear, we must not be greedy because we can come across with a negative end many times. Thus, it is better to be pleased with our life and what we have, and pray for them to our God.

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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

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.

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

Guy de maupassant.

Study Guide

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The Surprise Ending

“The Necklace” is most famous for its “whip-crack” or “O. Henry” ending. O. Henry, who wrote during the late 1800s, was famous for his twist endings that turned stories on their heads. In “The Necklace,” the surprise ending unhinges the previously implied premise of the story. Until this point, the reader has been able to interpret Mathilde’s ten years of poverty as penance for her stolen night of pleasure at the party and for carelessly losing the borrowed necklace. The ending shatters that illusion, revealing that the ten years of misery were unnecessary and could have been avoided if only Mathilde had been honest with Madame Forestier. Losing the necklace had seemed to be Mathilde’s fatal mistake, but it was actually Mathilde’s failure to be truthful with Madame Forestier that sealed her fate. This shocking realization sheds new light on the previous events and suggests that Mathilde’s future—even though her debts are now repaid—will be none too rosy.

The horrible irony of the fact that the Loisels spent years paying off a replacement for what was actually a worthless necklace is just one instance of irony evident in “The Necklace.” Also ironic is the fact that Mathilde’s beauty, which had been her only valued asset, disappears as a result of her labor for the necklace. She had borrowed the necklace to be seen as more beautiful and winds up losing her looks completely. Perhaps the most bitter irony of “The Necklace” is that the arduous life that Mathilde must assume after losing the necklace makes her old life—the one she resented so fully—seem luxurious. She borrows Madame Forestier’s necklace to give the appearance of having more money than she really does, only to then lose what she does have. She pays doubly, with her money and looks, for something that had no value to begin with.

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The Necklace Essay

There are components that construct a story to be a superior read Elements such as properly developed backstories, a satisfying resolution, and decently portrayed themes are included to make or break a story. These key components are easily attainable goals. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant demonstrates character flaws, plot structure, and a believable storyline, it is not superior since many key components are missing. “The Necklace” was an inferior read due to the underdeveloped characters, the poorly portrayed themes, and the unsatisfying resolution. First and foremost, there are underdeveloped characters. Mathilde is one of the most unlikable person in the story due to being materialistic, which is not helped by the backstory given to …show more content…

In this essay, the author

The themes in “The Necklace” are hidden, but they are arguably too hidden. They are hidden to the point where a theme is lost or a theme is interpreted incorrectly. According to “The Necklace, ” “She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries,” but it is stated later that she owns a maid. Don’t be materialistic is shown clearly, but no other characters contrast the inherently flawed Mathilde, therefore, the audience can portray stereotypes such as all women are materialistic. Lastly, the resolution was disappointing. “The Necklace” ends with, “Oh my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste. It was worth at most 500 francs!” There is no solution to the newly introduced conflict of Madame Forestier not giving back the extra money to Mathilde since Mathilde is now actually poor. Paying off the debt is a buildup to something seemingly big, but it actually ends with an anticlimactic conclusion. In other words, the audience is left hanging. In conclusion, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is a less than satisfactory short story. The characters that are introduced are all flat and stereotypical. The themes can be misinterpreted or missed. Lastly, the ending is obnoxiously anticlimactic. While most classics that are found in English books are intriguing or satisfactory, “The Necklace” is neither of

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