Guy de Maupassant's most well-known literary work is the short story "The Necklace.

" This classic

deMaupassant's story is set in nineteenth-century France and is known for its unexpected ending. The
plot centers on a young woman and her husband, who enjoyed a normal middle-class existence
beforebecoming completely deprived due to an unfortunate tragedy. This is an irony of fate, given that
theyoung wife's dissatisfaction with her social situation and her passionate desire for a life that her
husband,a mere government employee cannot provide. As a result, ‘The Necklace’ warns the
reader.that people who can't appreciate what they have and insist on seeking what they don't have may
endup in even worse situations than they are now.
To illustrate how too much unhappiness and materialism may have negative consequences,Maupassant
develops the character of Mathilde Loisel, whose greatest flaw is her inability to accepther middle-class
social status as the wife of a government clerk. Mathilde's vision of a prosperous lifestyleis romanticized;
she spends her days fantasizing about a home brimming with expensiveluxury, closets filled with
magnificent gowns and jewelry, maids, and lavish feasts. She is simplyunappreciative of her and her
husband's comfortable existence. She consciously closes her eyes tothe dullness of her surroundings and
mentally transposes herself to a completely different one tocomfort herself.    As a result, instead of
eating boiled beef with carrots at the dining table with her and her husband,She imagines herself dining
with "exquisite dishes, served on marvelous plates," a compliment.whispered and heard with a
sphinxlike smile, while she was eating the rosy flesh of a trout.or the wings of a quail. Many people can
relate to her feelings of shame about her own financial andsocial circumstances.   Throughout the novel,
Maupassant wonderfully illustrates the depth of emotions.of this character. Maupassant brilliantly
portrays Mathilde as a woman who is disgusted that she willhave to wear an old dress to the ball while
expressing her reaction to her husband. By doing so,Maupassant increases the reader's hatred for this
character.De Maupassant then presents a conflict that would alter the couple's fortunes, not for the
better, asMathilde would have preferred, but for the worse. This begins when Mathilde misplaces the
diamond. necklace, whichShe borrowed from her wealthy friend Madame Forester (whom she admired
greatly for hermoney) to match with the expensive gown she wore to the party, which she had
emotionally wrangledfrom her husband. Faced with the threat of having to tell Madame Forrester about
the theft, the couplespends their final funds and takes out multiple loans to purchase a diamond
necklace that looksidentical to the original. Mathilde's life may have been made simpler if she had
admitted to losing thejewelry, but she was too proud to do so. She creates a situation that brings misery
to both herself andher husband by refusing to tell the truth about the necklace. These loans take years
to repay, forcingthem to give up all they own, including their home and servant, and turn Mathilde, who
was oncebeautiful and elegant to a "robust woman, hard and rude, of a low household." Whose voice
was loud?and she scrubbed the floor with splashing water, her hair badly combed, her skirts awry, and
herhands red.’ As if emphasizing the point wasn't enough, de Maupassant concludes the story with a
surprise twist.that makes the reader sit up and take notice. Mathilde realizes that the diamond necklace
provided toMadame Forester, ten years after the incident that triggered the tragic change in her
life,simple costume jewelry when they reunite ten years later. The fake diamond necklace appears
tosymbolize Mathilde and her husband's irrational sacrifices over the last ten years. Mathilde's anguish
must have been compounded by the realization that her life had become absolutely impoverished as
aresult of a single piece of worthless jewelry. Mathilde should learn that vanity is useless and
thatIndividuals should be proud of who they are. Mathilde must also learn to be comfortable with
whatIronically, she lost what she had because she was dissatisfied with it.
The moral of The Necklace Story is that we should not judge people based on their outward looks,
asThey may appear to be wealthy and successful, but they are not. It also teaches us not to yearn for
materialstuff, but to be content with what we have. ‘The Necklace’ is a story about unhappiness and
irrationalmaterialism.  De Maupassant warns his readers against craving too much for material things
that one can't afford.have right now and ignoring the tiny things one already has won't bring positive
outcomes. The risk that such a person would not only not receive the things he desires for himself but
may also lose thethings he already has but does not value.