The Necklace: New Criticism

Synopsis:
A girl who lives a simple life always dreamt of living a luxurious life and owning lots of
riches.

One day, her husband brought home an invitation to a ball. Instead of being excited about
being in a fancy party, his wife got upset, complaining that she doesn’t have anything suitable to
wear for the occasion. Her husband gave money to her wife to get herself a gown. But, a week
before the party, Mathilde seems to be anxious complaining again of not having any jewelry on
her body. Mr. Loisel suggested that she could at least borrow one from her friend, Jeanne Forestier.
She went to her friend’s house to check on her jewelry and she found a diamond necklace that
really matches her gown.

Mr. and Mrs. Loisel went to the gala and Mathilde was a head-turner because of her look.
They had a fabulous time dancing and talking to other people. Finally, they went home in the wee
hours of the morning. When they arrived, Mathilde realized that she was not wearing the necklace
anymore. Mr. Loisel went back to where they came from to check if it fell off there but found
nothing. Mathilde wrote a letter to her friend that it got broken and needs to be repaired when they
are just looking for it. They thought of replacing the jewelry, so they went to different jewelry
stores to look for the exact replica of the necklace and they found it. It costed them thirty-six
thousand francs. Their money wasn’t enough, so they had to borrow more. When they have enough
to purchase, they immediately give the necklace to Jeanne, who did not look at what they gave.

The next ten years was hard for Mr. and Mrs. Loisel because they need to work double
time to pay all their debts. When they successfully paid all of it, their looks really aged a lot. While
walking on the street, she saw Mrs. Forestier. After paying all their debts, she had the courage to
tell the truth to her. She went to her, but Mrs. Forestier was stunned with her appearance. Mathilde
explained everything to Jeannie, from the time she lost the necklace to what she did to replace it.
Jeannie was shocked after hearing her and, also confessed that what Mathilde borrowed was just
a fake that is worth no more than just five hundred francs.

New Criticism
 The story takes place in the apartment where the couple lives. Mr. and Mrs. Loisel lived
ten years in their house while working to pay their debts. The characters are primarily Mr. Loisel,
Mathilde Loisel, and Mrs. Jeannie Forestier. The story started with the description of the life
Mathilde wanted to have and how much she wanted to have the attention of many.

Her suffering all started when she decided to not tell Mrs. Forestier that she lost the
necklace. It was her pride that forbids it. She knew that she would experience the life of a needy,
but she still needs to replace it, which makes her action a bit heroic. For ten years, she and her
husband continued this way. They way she looks changed a lot, she grew older and became less
beautiful. They really suffered from the consequences of not telling the truth that Mathilde lost the
necklace. But, actually, she suffered from the guilty feeling of not admitting the truth in the first
place and the shame of not having enough money to replace it.

However, their lives turned into an ironic one when Mrs. Forestier told Mathilde that what
she borrowed from her was only a replica of the true necklace and it only costs five hundred francs.
Mathilde and her husband replaced the fake with something real that makes their ten years of
suffering worth nothing. They struggled a lot which could not have happened if Mathilde told the
truth immediately.

I also think that Mathilde thought that her appearance will dictate her social status. Since
she wanted to live a luxurious life, she wanted something that would make her look like an upper-
class man in the ball. But, that something was also the reason for her downfall. They need to spend
the next ten years of their lives working to pay for their debts that went to nothing because the
necklace that they replaced was fake. Because of the dreams of Mathilde, they struggled and
experienced poverty.