SMASH TUTORS
THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant
SUMMARY
Mathilde Loisel is “pretty and charming” but feels she has been born into a family of
unfavorable economic status. She was married off to a lowly clerk in the Ministry of
Education, who can afford to provide her only with a modest though not uncomfortable
lifestyle. Mathilde feels the burden of her poverty intensely. She regrets her lot in life and
spends endless hours imagining a more extravagant existence. While her husband
expresses his pleasure at the small, modest supper she has prepared for him, she dreams
of an elaborate feast served on fancy china and eaten in the company of wealthy friends.
She possesses no fancy jewels or clothing, yet these are the only things she lives for.
Without them, she feels she is not desirable. She has one wealthy friend, Madame Forestier,
but refuses to visit her because of the heartbreak it brings her.
One night, her husband returns home proudly bearing an invitation to a formal party hosted
by the Ministry of Education. He hopes that Mathilde will be thrilled with the chance to attend
an event of this sort, but she is instantly angry and begins to cry. Through her tears, she tells
him that she has nothing to wear and he ought to give the invitation to one of his friends
whose wife can afford better clothing. Her husband is upset by her reaction and asks how
much a suitable dress would cost. She thinks about it carefully and tells him that 400 francs
would be enough. Her husband quietly balks at the sum but agrees that she may have the
money.
As the day of the party approaches, Mathilde starts to behave oddly. She confesses that the
reason for her behavior is her lack of jewels. Monsieur Loisel suggests that she wear
flowers, but she refuses. He implores her to visit Madame Forestier and borrow something
from her. Madame Forestier agrees to lend Mathilde her jewels, and Mathilde selects a
diamond necklace. She is overcome with gratitude at Madame Forestier’s generosity.
At the party, Mathilde is the most beautiful woman in attendance, and everyone notices her.
She is intoxicated by the attention and has an overwhelming sense of self-satisfaction. At 4
a.m., she finally looks for Monsieur Loisel, who has been dozing for hours in a deserted
room. He cloaks her bare shoulders in a wrap and cautions her to wait inside, away from the
cold night air, while he fetches a cab. But she is ashamed at the shabbiness of her wrap and
follows Monsieur Loisel outside. They walk for a while before hailing a cab.
When they finally return home, Mathilde is saddened that the night has ended. As she
removes her wrap, she discovers that her necklace is no longer around her neck. In a panic,
Monsieur Loisel goes outside and retraces their steps. Terrified, she sits and waits for him.
He returns home much later in an even greater panic—he has not found the necklace. He
instructs her to write to Madame Forestier and say that she has broken the clasp of the
necklace and is getting it mended.
They continue to look for the necklace. After a week, Monsieur Loisel says they have to see
about replacing it. They visit many jewelers, searching for a similar necklace, and finally find
one. It costs 40,000 francs, although the jeweler says he will give it to them for 36,000. The
Loisels spend a week scraping up money from all kinds of sources, mortgaging the rest of
their existence. After three days, Monsieur Loisel purchases the necklace. When Mathilde
returns the necklace, in its case, to Madame Forestier, Madame Forestier is annoyed at how
long it has taken to get it back but does not open the case to inspect it. Mathilde is relieved.
The Loisels began to live a life of crippling poverty. They dismiss their servant and move into
an even smaller apartment. Monsieur Loisel works three jobs, and Mathilde spends all her
time doing the heavy housework. This misery lasts ten years, but at the end they have
repaid their financial debts. Mathilde’s extraordinary beauty is now gone: she looks just likes
the other women of poor households. They are both tired and irrevocably damaged from
these years of hardship.
One Sunday, while she is out for a walk, Mathilde spots Madame Forestier. Feeling
emotional, she approaches her and offers greetings. Madame Forestier does not recognize
her, and when Mathilde identifies herself, Madame Forestier cannot help but exclaim that
she looks different. Mathilde says that the change was on her account and explains to her
the long saga of losing the necklace, replacing it, and working for ten years to repay the
debts. At the end of her story, Madame Forestier clasps her hands and tells Mathilde the
original necklace was just costume jewelry and not worth anything.
Courtsey; Tutor KP
