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- Monsieur Loisel doesn't want to tell Madame Forestier about losing the necklace because it would mean a loss of face. Though not a crashing snob like his wife, he's doubtless aware that his recent invitation to the Education Ministry ball could've been the start of big things for him both professionally and socially.
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Mathilde does not tell Madame Forestier that she lost the necklace because she is embarrassed and proud. Mathilde Loisel believes that she was born below her proper station in life.
Monsieur Loisel doesn't want to tell Madame Forestier about losing the necklace because it would mean a loss of face. Though not a crashing snob like his wife, he's doubtless aware...
- Characters
- Summary
- Symbols
- Theme
The story centers on three characters: Mathilde Loisel, Monsieur Loisel, and Madame Forestier. Mathilde, the main character, is beautiful and social, and she wants expensive items to match her sophisticated taste. But she was born into a clerk's family and ends up marrying another clerk, so she can't afford the clothing, accessories, and household ...
Monsieur Loisel presents Mathilde with an invitation to the Ministry of Education's formal party, which he expects will make Mathilde happy because she will be able to mingle with high society. Mathilde is immediately upset, however, because she doesn't have a gown that she believes is nice enough to wear to the event. Mathilde's tears sway Monsieu...
Given its central role in the short story, the necklace is an important symbolof deception. Mathilde had dressed for the party in expensive clothes and a sparkling but borrowed accessory to briefly escape her humble life by pretending to a station she did not hold. Similarly, the jewelry represents the illusion of wealth in which Madame Forestier a...
The short story's themeinvolves the pitfalls of pride. Mathilde's pride in her beauty prompts her to buy an expensive dress and borrow seemingly expensive jewelry, which triggers her downfall. She fed her pride for one night but paid for it over the next 10 years of hardship, which destroyed her beauty. Pride also prevented her friend from acknowle...
- Esther Lombardi
Loisel retraces their steps but cannot find the lost necklace anywhere. They realise that they will have to replace the necklace, whatever the cost. To buy them some time, they compose a letter to Madame Forestier, claiming that they are having the necklace repaired.
The horrible irony of the fact that the Loisels spent years paying off a replacement for what was actually a worthless necklace is just one instance of irony evident in “The Necklace.” Also ironic is the fact that Mathilde’s beauty, which had been her only valued asset, disappears as a result of her labor for the necklace.
In a sudden burst of emotion, Madame Loisel reveals her entire story of losing the necklace, replacing it, and working off the cost of the replacement ever since. In response, Madame Forestier replies that the original necklace did not contain actual diamonds but rather fake diamonds, meaning the original necklace cost no more than 500 francs.
Without a dowry or a point of entry into high society, she is unable to find a wealthy husband, and so she marries M. Loisel, a clerk who works for the Ministry of Education. The opening lines of “The Necklace” introduce Mathilde as an exceptionally beautiful woman with an ordinary social situation.
