The Necklace, Home Reading Report

Since that is beyond Mathilde’s social reach the only way to escape that status is through marriage. Yet she let herself be married off to a “little clerk in the Ministry of Education”. This developed more of the discontent in her current rank. Despite this, Monsieur Loisel is still tolerant of her behavior and wants to please her. Her excessive pride, materialism and shallowness cause her emotional torture to herself when she feels deprived of luxuries.

While focusing on the disappointments in Mathilde’s life, de Maupassant outlines the depressing, wasted life of a once healthy and well off woman. During the time period in which this story takes place, most people would have viewed Mathilde and her husband as upper- middle class. They were not poor by any means. Mathilde comes from a family of clerks and her husband has a solid job, which allows them to live comfortably. Some people may consider them to be a part of the upper class due to the fact that they have a maid.

Mathilde never seemed satisfied with what she had. She envied the upper class and felt she should have what they have. “She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries. She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling” (Maupassant). This desire to belong in the upper class caused her only to focus on what she did not have. When her husband surprises her with the invitation to the ball the only thing she can think about is not having the proper dress for the occasion. “She looked at him with an irritated eye, and she said, impatiently: “’And what do you expect me to put on my back?’” (Maupassant). It seemed

Madame Loisel suffers from a severe case of greed and envy. Madame wishes to live in a world of florid garments and silk curtains. She believes - by an accident of fate- that she was born into a middle class family of clerks, married to an unworthy man. On page 208, Maupassant narrates, “She grieved incessantly, feeling that she had been born for all the little niceties and luxuries of living.” Mathilde’s drab, average life isn’t enough for the life she believes she should be living. Instead of Madame changing her life to what she imagines it to be, Madame breaks down and lets herself to ponder about the life she could be living. Her envy for the people blessed with luxury takes Madame to believe that she deserves only the very best for herself. Furthermore, Madame displays gluttony on page 210, “She so much longed to please, be envied, be fascinating and sought after.” Her insane desire for wealth and status causes Madame to turn to the only thing that makes her feel needed, feel powerful, feel wealthy and rich; her imagination is with her throughout the whole story, letting herself deduce that she has to be envied and be sought after. The quote above demonstrates the act of coveting for Madame herself is drooling over the fact of being a person that people look up to.

Around the world, values are expressed differently. Some people think that life is about the little things that make them happy. Others feel the opposite way and that expenses are the way to live. In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, he develops a character, Madame Loisel, who illustrates her different style of assessments. Madame Loisel, a beautiful woman, lives in a wonderful home with all the necessary supplies needed to live. However, she is very unhappy with her life. She feels she deserves a much more expensive and materialistic life than what she has. After pitying herself for not being the richest of her friends, she goes out and borrows a beautiful necklace from an ally. But as she

Over the course of 10 years living with only the bare necessities of life, each month trying to pay back a loan asking for a bit more time. Mathilde, now was living a life that was almost unbearable, although nothing other than her envy and greed brought a harder life for Mr. Loisel and her. Finally, they were able to clear all of their debts after 10 years they were free now to start over again. One day when Mathilde was walking, she saw Mrs. Forrester and blamed her for what had come upon her family for the last ten years. Mrs. Forrester was very confused at this statement, not understanding what Mathilde was trying to imply. Mathilde then said that they had lost her necklace at the party, and have lived for 10 years like paupers because they had to replace her 48 000 francs necklace. Mrs. Forrester then told Mathilde in a gentle voice that the necklace was a knock off and was no more than 500 francs. This dénouement that Guy de Maupassant wrote, showed the true destructive forces of envy and greed.

When her husband gave her the invitation to the ball, which was a perfect place to meet the rich people, Mathilde got mad and cried. It was a shame since she has nothing to wear. Mr Loisel gave his money to Mathilde and she got an elegance dress. But she didn’t stop and wanted to have jewels. Mathilde met her friend, Madame Forestier and chose an gorgeous diamond necklace. Of course, she became the prettiest woman in the ball, with everyone stared at her, as if she was the most attractive woman ever. She felt fascinated, just like her dream came true. But then a tragic came to her. She lost the necklace! Mathilde and her husband tried to find the necklace, but they found nothing. Mathilde lost her hope and had aged five years. The Loisels finally decided to replace the diamonds for 36 000 Francs, spent all of their money and accepted to pay the debts. It was such an unfortunate situation. After Mathilde lost the necklace, she was described as “ And, clad like a poor woman, she went to the fruiterer, to the grocer, to the butcher, a basket on her arm, haggling, insulted, fighting for every wretched halfpenny of her money”. (Maupassant 8). The family was suffering from poverty and have to pay the debts continuously. Mathilde changed immediately and did everything. They have worked so hard to earn every single penny for their life, to survive and pay all those debts. The third person limited

Madame Loisel had changed for the better in the end. In the beginning, her desires for expensive possessions were proven multiple times by details such as, "She had no gowns, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that. " Not only did she sought after the high-class lifestyle, she felt entitled to be in it. "Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries."

Besides all those type of rejections his husband been endured, for examples been opposed to all kind of proposition, refuted the Minister of Public Instruction and Mme.Georges Ramponeau’s invitation, that didn’t bother him for being a humble husband and spending to make her satisfy. Mr. Loisel spent all he had to make her life easy and happy, but all kind those sacrifices were in vain because Mathilde was too exaggerated for herself until she ended up losing her friend necklace. Then, she came to know her husband value and the meaning of a heavy housework as a women.

On August 31, 1997, The beautiful Princess Diana died from a tragic car accident in Paris, France. The loss was devastating to many around the world and millions of flowers were laid before Buckingham Palace. Her life had changed how royalty was viewed and how media and paparazzi worked, especially in the UK, and that change only sped up after the accident. And just like how society went through a change after Princess Diana's death, Mme. Mathilde Loisel of Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace underwent the change after the death of her current lifestyle. Mme. Loisel had lost a borrowed necklace that had been lent to her for a ball. She and her husband were able to replace it without the owner finding out, but it cost them 10 years of poverty and labor to do so. Mme. Loisel had lost everything, and she came to appreciate what she had, because she didn't have it forever.

Monsieur Loisel’s willingness to please Mathilde and fulfilling all her desires becomes the reason of his downfall, when she loses the necklace. He goes out in the cold winter to search for the necklace even though he has to go to work within some hours. Moreover, he devises a plan to purchase a new necklace by taking loans and mortgaging his property. On the other hand, Mathilde never cared about her husband’s wants and desires but he never had one. Rather than blaming Mathilde to be accountable for her actions, he protects her so that she doesn’t feel lonely. He did everything that a good husband should do.

Even still, Mathilde is not satisfied and is unwilling to settle for anything but the best. Because of her vain desire she chooses the expensive jewelry, which is a grave mistake that leads to her paying for a necklace she cannot afford. Due to Mathilde’s prideful character, Monsieur and Madame Loisel will spend ten years of their lives paying back this debt. Moreover, Mathilde’s thoughts reveal that her actions are the cause of the Loisel’s many years of weariness and stress. Alone at her home, Mathilde thinks about “what would have happened” (84) if she had been satisfied with flowers rather than borrowing the necklace.

While Mathilde was having a wonderful time at the ball, enjoying being the center of attention and envy of the night, all good things come to an end. This is when she was in a rush to find a cab, away from the party so no one sees her in her modest coat while everyone else was wearing a luxurious fur coat. Mathilde loses the necklace her friend had lent her for the party. When she is unable to find the necklace, her husband and her are determined to be able to return it without having her friend realizing the truth. Due to this situation this causes them to buy a brand new necklace costing them 34,000 francs, although it was not something they were able to afford they had to use a savings that Loisel’s father had left him and barrow the rest. The debt that was left behind was something they both had to work hard to pay off. Not only did they have to fire their maid, and have Mathilde do all the housework, they rented a smaller place, had to change their lifestyle but they also both had to work for 10 years to be able to pay back the debt. By the end of if Mathilde was worn out, she had lost her beauty, and had aged what seemed like twice as much. Having the hard life that Mathilde had lived those past years, you would expect of her to have changed her ways. But it was wrongfully assumed because one day she comes across her friend who had lent her the necklace, finally telling her the truth and explaining all that she had gone

"The necklace" In "The Necklace" Mathilde Loisel is a Beautiful woman who yearns for a life of Luxery and wealth. Monsieur Loisel is Mathilde's husband who is content with his humble lifestyle. Madame Forestier is Mathilde's wealthy friend. Mathilde let her friend borrow her necklace, Madame Forestier refuses to tell her friend that she has lost the borrowed necklace. Instead she and her husband repay by working nights.

Mr. Loisel was obviously excited the day that The Chancellor of Education had invited them to an exquisite dinner. Surely he thought that this was finally a way that he could provide an outlet for Mathilde's deepest desires. Unfortunately, instead of being thrilled as he had predicted, Mathilde acted like a spoiled child, throwing the invitation on the table. "She had no decent dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but these; she believed herself born only for these" (5). She couldn't have been more manipulative than when she began to cry about not having anything to wear. Of course Mr. Loisel suddenly fell into her trap and suddenly decided to give her all of the money in his savings account to buy her a new dress. Most would assume that she'd be satisfied at this point; her husband has just made a huge financial sacrifice for her. However, as time drew near to the night of the party, she became insecure and restless because she thought she would look poor if she didn't have any fancy jewels to wear; she thought she'd look like a beggar. `I'd almost rather not go to the party (30)", she said.