Gretchen Perez
BSED–Eng. 3A
The Necklace
PLOT
Madame Mathilde Loisel has always imagined herself in a high state of aristocracy. The fact that she was
born into a lower middle class family is described as an "error of fate." She marries a low-paid clerk who
tries his best to make her happy but has little to give. Through lots of begging at work, her husband is
able to get an invitation for the both of them to the Ministry of Education party. Mathilde refuses to go,
for she has nothing to wear, and wishes not to be embarrassed. Her husband is upset to see her
displeasure and, using all the money that he was saving to buy a hunting rifle, gives Mathilde 400 francs
to use. Mathilde goes out and buys a dress, but even with the dress she is not happy, as she is without
any jewels to wear with it. The couple does not have much money left, so her husband suggests that
she should buy flowers to wear with it. After Mathilde disagrees, he suggests borrowing something from
her friend, Madame Jeanne Forestier. Mathilde goes to Madame Forestier and picks out her fanciest
piece, a huge diamond necklace. She looks at it with covetousness. After attending the party, Mathilde
discovers that she has lost the necklace. She tries to find a quick way to replace it. She goes to a shop
and discovers the price of a similar necklace to be 40,000 francs, eventually purchasing it for 36,000
francs. The couple has sold everything they owned and must secure loans at high interest rates to pay
for the necklace. Ten years later, while walking along the Champs-Élysées, she suddenly sees Madame
Forestier, who barely recognizes her in her dire state. As the women are talking, Mathilde recounts the
story of losing and replacing the necklace, and that it was because of Madame Forestier that she has
lived so terribly the past ten years. Horrified, Madame Forestier takes Mathilde's hands, explaining that
her original necklace was a fake made of paste, and was worth nothing more than 500 francs.
Characters
The story "The Necklace" comprises three characters—Mathilde Loisel, Monsieur Loisel, and Mme.
Forestier. The protagonist is a young and beautiful woman, Mathilde Loisel. She is married to Monsieur
Loisel. He is a clerk at the Ministry of Education. Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace from her
childhood friend, Mme. Forestier. Mathilde used to study with her at the convent.
Settings
The setting of "The Necklace" is late- nineteenth-century Paris. Specific settings include Madame Loisel's
apartment, her friend Madame Forestier's home, the ball, and on the streets of the Champs Elysees.
Point of view
The point of view used in "The Necklace" is third-person limited omniscient.
Conflict
Mme. Loisel vs. herself: her excessive pride, materialism and shallowness cause her emotional torture as
she feels she’s been deprived of luxuries. And also, Mme. Loisel vs society. This is demonstrated by the
fact that the Mme. Loisel feels that she is born into a low standard of living and struggles to be in a
higher class.
Symbolism
The necklace is the central symbol of the story. Madame Loisel had no clothes, no jewels, nothing, and
while her husband can buy her a dress, they cannot afford jewelry. The necklace thus represents
Madame Loisel's greed and also her artificiality. She judges herself by the things that she has, and
believes others will too. The necklace of artificial diamonds symbolizes the insincerity of her character.
Those who admire the necklace only for its supposed worth have been fooled. Just because it looks real
does not mean that it is real. This symbolism can be extended to Madame Loisel: Just because she looks
like an upper-class lady in her ball gown and jewels does not mean that she is one. The men at the ball
who admire her and succumb to her charms and wits can also be said to value appearance over reality,
since they have been beguiled by a woman whose charms have been brought out by such artificial
means.
Themes
Greed: This story has the theme of not being greedy in life as Mathilde has been. Mathilde's greed for a
better life leads her husband to get a ticket for an even where Mathilde purchases a dress they cannot
afford and borrows a necklace she believes to be worth thousands.
Appearances versus itself: The necklace itself represents the theme of appearances versus reality. While
sufficiently beautiful to make Madame Loisel feel comfortable during theministerial ball, the necklace is
actually nothing more than paste and gilt. Thus, it is not the reality of wealth or high social class that is
important for Madame Loisel, just the appearance of it.
