Guy de Maupassants The Necklace follows the life of a woman whose main desire in life, which is to be part of a higher class, destroys any chance of a happy future for her and her husband. Her husband only wants to please her, but despite everything he does, it is never enough to satisfy Madame Loisel.
It is understandable that she wanted one night on which she could wear a beautiful dress and a diamond necklace. Every woman wants to know how it feels to be the belle of the ball sometime in her life; however, she could have been much more sympathetic and grateful to her thoughtful husband. After all, he was the only reason she was able to go to the party or buy a new dress. He was such a devoted husband that he was willing to spend all of his savings on her. He was like an innocent bystander, who, when she loses the necklace, has to spend all of his days and nights working to pay debts in order to replace it. Despite all of his efforts to please her, she is ungrateful and never seems to appreciate how much he does for her.
She shows her selfishness throughout the story through her actions and attitude toward other characters. Even after paying off all the debts, when she sees her friend that lent her the necklace, the first thing she says to her is Yes, Ive had some hard times since I saw you last; and many sorrowsand all on your account (Maupassant).
Her comment does make her seem as though she has not changed on the surface; however, it is somewhat comforting to know that she finally came clean with her friend about the necklace. This shows the reader that Mathilde no longer puts as much value in appearance, for if she did, then she definitely would not want to make herself look bad in her friends eyes by confessing.
The most heartbreaking part of the story is the ending, which is when the reader learns that the lost necklace is really only worth five hundred francs. The reader feels little sympathy for the woman, but only because she has finally confessed to her mistake and been honest with her friend. On the other hand, the reader feels great sadness for the husband, who had been forced to use up ten years of his life to pay his wifes debt.
Overall, The Necklace sends the message to the reader that everyone should be content with what they have and grateful for what they receive. Furthermore, if a person makes a mistake, such as Madame Loisels losing the necklace at the party, he or she should be honest about it, which will make life much easier in the end.
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