"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant- Summary

The Necklace

Guy de Maupassant

Guy De Maupassant is a famous French writer. “The Necklace” is known for its twist, which was a hallmark of de Maupassant's style. The theme of the story is the contrast of reality and appearance.

Mathilde, the protagonist of the story, is a charming woman. She always feels upset about born in a poor family and desires to be rich. Due to her economical condition, she marries a poor clerk in the Ministry of Education. He is able to provide her only with a modest lifestyle. Mathilde feels the burden of her poverty. She regrets about her life condition and imagines a more wealthy life. While her husband expresses his pleasure at the simple food she has prepared for him, she dreams of an elaborate feast served on fancy china in the company of wealthy friends. She does not possess any fancy jewels or clothing and she longs for that. She has one wealthy friend, Madame Forestier, but refuses to visit her because of her poor condition.

One night, her husband returns home bringing an invitation to a party hosted by the Ministry of Education. He hopes that Mathilde will be happy to attend that function, but she feels angry and begins to cry. She tells him that she has nothing to wear and he has to give the invitation to others. Her husband is upset by her reaction and decides to buy a new dress for her. Later she starts to behave oddly. She confesses that the reason for her behavior is lack of jewels.  He pleads her to visit Madame Forestier and borrow something from her. Madame Forestier agrees to lend Mathilde her jewels, and Mathilde selects a diamond necklace. She feels happy at Madame Forestier’s generosity.

At the party, Mathilde looks very beautiful, and everyone notices her. She feels happy about others attention on her. Finally she looks for Monsieur Loisel, who has been sleeping for hours in a deserted room and leave from the party.  He covers her bare shoulders in a wrap and asks her to wait inside, while he fetches a cab. But she is ashamed of her cheap wrap and follows her husband outside.

When they finally return home, Mathilde is saddened that the night has ended. As she removes her wrap, she discovers that her necklace is missing.  Monsieur Loisel goes outside and searches but could not find it. He instructs her to write to Madame Forestier and say that the clasp of the necklace is broken and she will get it mended. They decide to replace it. They visit many jewelers, searching for a similar necklace, and finally find one. It costs 40,000 francs, although the jeweler says he will give it to them for 36,000. The Loisels spend a week to collect money from all kinds of sources. After three days, she purchases the necklace and returns it to her.

The Loisels begin to live a poor life. They dismiss their servant and move into a smaller apartment. Monsieur Loisel works three jobs, and Mathilde does the heavy housework. After ten years they cleared their debts. Mathilde’s beauty is now gone: she looks just likes the other women of poor households. They are both tired from these years of hardship.

One Sunday, while she is out for a walk, Mathilde sees Madame Forestier. She approaches her and offers greetings. Madame Forestier does not recognize her first and says that she looks different. Mathilde says that the change was on her account and explains to her about the loss of the necklace, replacing it, and working for ten years to repay the debts. At the end of her story, Madame Forestier replies that the necklace was made of fake diamonds not more than 500 francs. The story ends with a twist.