The Necklace
By Guy de Maupassant
She was one of those pretty, charming young women, born, as if by an error of fate, into a family of clerks. She had
no dowry, no expectations, no means of being known, understood, loved, or married by a rich and distinguished
man. So she let herself be married to a minor official at the Ministry of Education.
She dressed plainly, because she could not afford fine clothes, but she was as unhappy as though she had really
fallen from her proper station in life. She suffered constantly, feeling herself destined for all delicacies and luxuries.
She suffered from the poverty of her apartment, the shabby walls, the worn furniture, and the ugly curtains.
All these things, which another woman of her class would not even have noticed, tortured her and made her
resentful. She dreamed of large drawing rooms, filled with old silk, of fine furniture, of priceless ornaments, and of
elegant company. She longed to be desired, courted, admired, and sought after.
She had a rich friend, a schoolmate from her convent days, whom she no longer visited because she felt ashamed of
her humble surroundings.
One evening, her husband returned home with a triumphant air, holding a large envelope in his hand.
"There," he said, "here is something for you."
She quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out a printed card:
"The Minister of Education and Madame Ramponneau request the honor of M. and Mme. Loisel's company at the
palace of the Ministry on the evening of Monday, January 18th."
Instead of being delighted, as her husband expected, she threw the invitation down on the table and murmured
bitterly:
"What do you expect me to do with this?"
"But, my dear, I thought you would be happy. You never go out, and this is a great occasion. I had to work hard to
get it. Everyone wants one, and only a few are given to clerks. You will see all the fine people there!"
She looked at him with irritation and said impatiently:
"What do you think I can wear to such an event?"
He had not thought of that. He stammered:
"Why, the dress you wear when we go to the theater. It seems very nice to me."
He stopped, astonished and distressed, as he saw his wife beginning to cry.
"What’s the matter? What’s the matter?"
By a violent effort, she subdued her sobbing and wiped her tears. Then she replied calmly:
"Nothing. Only I have no dress, and so I can't go to this ball. Give the invitation to someone whose wife has
something to wear."
He was heartbroken.
"Come, Mathilde," he said, "how much would a suitable dress cost—one that you could use for other occasions as
well, something very simple?"
She thought for a few seconds, calculating prices. Then she replied hesitantly:
"I don’t know exactly, but I think I could do it with four hundred francs."
Her husband turned pale, for he had saved just that amount to buy a hunting rifle. But he said:
"Very well. I will give you four hundred francs. But try to get a beautiful dress."
The day of the ball approached, and Mme. Loisel seemed sad, uneasy, and anxious. Her dress was ready, but she had
no jewelry, nothing to adorn herself with.
"What’s the matter?" her husband asked.
"I hate not having a single jewel, not a single stone, to wear," she replied. "I look so poor. I’d rather not go at all."
"Why not borrow something from your friend, Mme. Forestier?" suggested her husband.
She gave a cry of joy.
"Of course! I hadn’t thought of that."
She went to Mme. Forestier and told her of her distress. Mme. Forestier smiled, opened a large box, and said:
"Choose whatever you like."
She saw some beautiful bracelets, pearl necklaces, and a Venetian cross of gold and gems. Finally, in a black satin
box, she found a superb diamond necklace, and her heart began to beat with desire.
"Can I borrow this, just this?"
"Of course!"
She threw her arms around her friend, thanked her, and ran home excitedly with her treasure.
The night of the ball arrived. Mme. Loisel was the most beautiful woman there—elegant, graceful, radiant with
happiness. All the men stared at her, asked her name, and wanted to be introduced. She danced wildly, intoxicated
with pleasure, forgetting everything in her triumph.
At four o’clock in the morning, she and her husband left. Finding no carriage, they walked home in the cold until they
found a shabby cab.
When they reached their apartment, she took off her wrap and went to admire herself in the mirror. Suddenly, she
gave a terrible cry.
"The necklace! It’s gone!"
They searched everywhere but could not find it.
"You must write to Mme. Forestier," her husband said, "and say you broke the clasp and are having it repaired."
By the end of the week, they had found a jeweler selling an identical necklace—for thirty-six thousand francs.
They borrowed money from everywhere—loan sharks, friends, and their entire future—and bought the necklace.
Mme. Loisel returned it without explaining anything.
From then on, they lived in misery. They dismissed their maid, moved to a smaller apartment, and Mathilde did all
the housework.
Her hands grew red and rough from scrubbing, and her beauty faded. After ten years of hard labor, they had repaid
everything.
One day, Mathilde saw Mme. Forestier walking with her child and decided to tell her the truth.
"You remember the diamond necklace I borrowed? Well, I lost it and replaced it with another exactly like it. We
worked for ten years to pay for it."
Mme. Forestier, startled, took Mathilde’s hands.
"Oh, Mathilde! But my necklace was fake. It was worth only five hundred francs!"
Part 1: Comprehension Questions
1. Why is Mathilde Loisel unhappy with her life at the beginning of the story?
2. How does Mathilde’s desire for wealth and status influence her decisions?
3. What sacrifices did Mathilde and her husband make after losing the necklace?
4. How does the twist at the end of the story change the reader’s understanding of Mathilde’s struggle?
Part 2: Moral Analysis Questions
1. What moral lesson can be learned from Mathilde’s experience?
2. Do you think Mathilde’s suffering was justified? Why or why not?
3. If you were in Mathilde’s place, how would you have handled the situation differently?
4. What does the story suggest about honesty and pride?
5. In real life, how can people avoid making the same mistakes as Mathilde?
