📖 The Necklace
✦ Author Introduction
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a famous French short-
story writer known for his realistic portrayal of ordinary life
and mastery of irony. His works often highlight human
weaknesses like greed, pride, and vanity, and they usually end
with an unexpected twist.
✦ Summary
Matilda Loisel was a young and beautiful woman, but she was
always unhappy with her modest life. Married to a simple
clerk, she longed for wealth, luxuries, jewels, and fine living,
believing she was born for a grander destiny. Her husband, on
the other hand, was a simple, content man who loved her
dearly.
One day, he brought home an invitation to a grand ball at the
Minister’s residence. While he expected her to be delighted,
Matilda became upset because she had no beautiful dress to
wear. To please her, her husband gave up his savings, meant
for buying a gun, so that she could buy a fine gown. But soon
she grew restless again, feeling she had no jewellery to match
her dress. Her husband suggested borrowing from her rich
friend, Mme. Forestier. Matilda chose a dazzling diamond
necklace.
At the ball, Matilda was the center of attraction. Elegant and
graceful, she felt overjoyed at the admiration she received.
But her happiness was short-lived. On returning home, she
discovered that the necklace was missing. They searched
everywhere but could not find it. At last, they decided to
replace it with an identical necklace worth thirty-six thousand
francs. M. Loisel used his savings and borrowed heavily to
buy it.
To repay the debt, their life changed drastically. They
dismissed their maid, shifted to a small attic, and Matilda had
to do all the hard household chores herself. Her husband
worked long hours and took up extra jobs. This struggle lasted
for ten years, during which Matilda aged and lost her charm.
One day, after repaying the debt completely, Matilda met
Mme. Forestier and revealed the truth—that she had lost the
necklace and suffered for ten years to repay its cost. Shocked,
Mme. Forestier confessed that her necklace had been fake and
worth no more than five hundred francs.
✨ In short, The Necklace is the tragic tale of a woman’s vanity
and discontentment that led to unnecessary suffering, ending
with a cruel twist of irony.
✦ Theme
The story conveys the theme of discontentment, vanity, and
irony of human desires. Matilda’s longing for wealth and
beauty makes her borrow a necklace, which becomes the
cause of ten years of suffering. The story also highlights the
unpredictability of fate—after years of struggle, she discovers
the necklace was fake. Thus, the theme teaches that greed and
pride bring misery, while contentment and honesty lead to
peace.
✦ Central Idea
The central idea of the story is that false pride and
discontentment can ruin lives. Matilda’s desire to look
glamorous at the ball changes her life forever. To maintain
appearances, she and her husband suffer ten years of poverty,
only to realize their sacrifice was pointless. The story
emphasizes that happiness comes from truth, humility, and
acceptance of life, not from chasing luxuries.
✦ Moral of the Story
The moral of The Necklace is that we should be content with
what we have and avoid false pride. Dishonesty and vanity
often lead to unnecessary suffering, while honesty and
simplicity bring peace of mind. Life is unpredictable, and
small choices can change it drastically, so one must value
truth and contentment over appearances.
✦ Important Questions & Answers
Q1. What kind of a person is Mme. Loisel — why is she
always unhappy?
Mme. Loisel is a beautiful but vain woman who feels she was
born for luxury. She is unhappy because she lives a modest
life without wealth, fine clothes, or jewellery.
Q2. What kind of a person is her husband?
M. Loisel is a simple, content, and loving man. He values
small joys and sacrifices his own comfort to make his wife
happy.
Q3. What fresh problem disturbs Mme. Loisel before the ball?
How is it solved?
She feels upset because she has no jewellery. Her husband
suggests borrowing from her friend Mme. Forestier, and she
borrows a diamond necklace.
Q4. What did the Loisels do after losing the necklace?
They searched everywhere but failed. Finally, they bought a
replacement worth thirty-six thousand francs by using savings
and loans.
Q5. How did the loss of the necklace change their life?
To repay the debt, they lived in poverty for ten years. Matilda
did all the household work while her husband worked extra
jobs. Both grew old and weary.
Q6. What is the irony in the story?
After ten years of hardship, Matilda learns that the original
necklace was fake and worth only five hundred francs.
Q7. What lesson do we learn from the story?
The story teaches us to be honest, to accept life as it is, and to
avoid vanity and greed. Contentment is the key to real
happiness.
