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Jennifer has a dual master's in English literature/teaching and is currently a high school English teacher. She teaches college classes on the side.
Do you ever wish your life was different? Do you wish for more money, a significant other, or a new job? In the short story, ''The Necklace'' by Guy de Maupassant, the main character, Mme. Mathilde Loisel, has her dream come true. However, this dream does not come without a price, a price that Mathilde and her husband sacrifice everything they have to pay. Let's take a look at a summary of the story and decide if this couple made the right choices.
At the beginning of the story, we meet Mme. Mathilde Loisel, a woman that comes from a working class family but wants nothing to do with her blue collar roots. Instead of marrying rich and living the good life, her parents had her marry a man named M. Loisel, who has a decent job at the Department of Education. While some may see this as a good life - food on the table, a nice place to live, and marriage to a loving man - Mathilde believes she is living a life of poverty and misery.
Mme. Loisel feels she was born into the wrong social class, which makes her separate herself from other women. Every day that she returns to her shabby household reminds her of the life she is not living. She dreams of a luxurious home with servants and friends of high social status. She dreams of being wanted by all for friendship and love, and to be adorned by beautiful jewels and clothing as well.
One night, Mathilde's husband comes home with an invitation to a party at the Ministry. M. Loisel believes this invitation will make her happy, but to no avail, Mathilde fights her tears. M. Loisel is shocked, but Mathilde explains she could never go to a ball like this. She has no dress, no jewelry, and no money. M. Loisel asks Mathilde how much she needs. She responds with the exact amount he has saved for a hunting rifle, but M. Loisel lovingly offers her the money.
A few days before the party, Mme. Loisel becomes upset again. She has a dress to wear but no jewels. Mathilde feels she will look ''poor among a lot of rich women.'' M. Loisel suggests that Mathilde goes to visit her wealthy friend, Mme. Jeanne Forestier, and see if she can borrow some jewelry. Mme. Loisel feels this is a great idea and heads to Mme. Forestier's home. Once there, Mme. Forestier shows her everything she owns and tells Mme. Loisel to pick whatever she'd like. Mathilde selects a diamond necklace.
At the party, Mme. Loisel lives the life she has been dreaming of. She dances, everyone asks who she is, and she looks stunning. She dances until 4 am, wishing the night would never end. Unfortunately for this real-life Cinderella, the clock strikes her back to reality. Putting on her poverty-stricken coat and unable to afford a cab, M. and Mme. Loisel sneak away from the Ministry to find a cheap ride home.
Once home, Mme. Loisel realizes her dream is turning into a nightmare; Mme. Forestier's necklace is gone! Mme. Loisel remembers having it in the cab, so M. Loisel heads out into the night to check the streets and retraces their steps.
With no luck, M. Loisel suggests that Mathilde write to Mme. Forestier and say that she broke the clasp on her necklace. He tells her to lie and say she is getting it repaired to buy them some time. The couple goes to every jeweler in the area and finds what they believe is a copy of the necklace. They talk the jeweler down to 36,000 francs. Francs were French currency at the time of this story, and 36,000 was a lot of money. M. Loisel takes the remaining money from his inheritance and borrows the rest from friends and lenders in order to come up with the money.
The purchase breaks M. Loisel emotionally, leaving him to wonder if he will ever be able to repay the debts, but Mme. Loisel handles the situation better than expected. She does not complain and works hard to keep her spirits up. The couple moves to a small room in an attic and dismisses their servant. Mathilde takes on the cooking, cleaning, and laundry and experiences what it truly means to be poor. M. Loisel takes a night job and side work to make extra money.
Ten years later, the debt is paid. Mme. Loisel is a new woman, hard and aged from years of work and stress. One day in the park, Mme. Loisel sees Mme. Forestier walking with a small child. Mme. Loisel says hello, but at first, Mme. Forestier does not recognize her. Mme. Loisel introduces herself, and Mme. Forestier is shocked at how different Mme. Loisel looks. Mme. Loisel agrees and explains the truth of what happened with the necklace. Mme. Forestier takes Mme. Loisel by the hands and confesses that the original diamonds were fake, worth only 500 francs at most.
They say the grass is always greener, and in this case, man it's true. Mme. Mathilde Loisel gets the night she has always imagined, thanks to the sacrifices her husband M. Loisel makes. But after borrowing and then losing what she thinks is an expensive diamond necklace, her life turns upside down.
To buy a new necklace, the couple goes into severe debt, which takes ten years to pay off. But harsh reality doesn't set in until years later when the debt is paid, and Mme. Loisel learns that the necklace she borrowed from Mme. Jeanne Forestier wasn't real! It was simply a fake diamond necklace. The story ends, and the reader is reminded to be careful what you wish for because everything in life comes with a price.
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Teaching Resources for Middle Grade & Young Adult Books4 chapters | 187 lessons
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