"The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassaunt

The Necklace”, written by Guy de Maupassant and published in 1884 is a story of an underprivileged woman named Mathilde who dreams of being rich, even if only for an evening. She borrows an ornate necklace for a special party, which she subsequently loses. She and her husband decide to take out loans and do whatever it takes for them to find the money to replace the lost necklace instead of just being honest with her friend about what happened. Her conscience effort to try to be something she is not, combined with her decision not to directly confront her friend with an explanation of her carelessness, results in her and her husband spending the next ten years of their lives trying to pay off the necklace they bought as a replacement. Various themes prevail throughout this story, including anger at the inability to determine one’s own fate, pride, and deceit and despair. Mathilde is an example how women’s roles were imposed upon them by the men of society and how women of th...