The Necklace (Maupassant)
Recommendation
Want a study guide too?
How would you feel if you lost a diamond necklace that you borrowed? We don't know your life, but we'd feel pretty crappy about it. In "The Necklace," Matilde borrows a necklace to look rich for a ball—and loses it. She and her husband spiral into debt from the cost of replacing it, only to realize...well, watch the video to find out the rest.
| Author | Maupassant - Guy de Maupassant |
| Form | Short Story |
| Language | English Language |
| Literature | World Literature |
| Themes | Pride Suffering Wealth Women and Femininity |
Transcript
her own. . .
. . .which includes just about everybody on the planet.
Poor Mathilde can’t catch a break. When she finally does get the chance to hang
out with the rich and famous. . .
. . .she loses a borrowed necklace. . .
. . .which makes her life more miserable than ever.
It sure looks like our author is trying to tell us something. . .
. . .but what?
What’s the moral of The Necklace? Is he suggesting that we should be happy with
what we’ve got? Mathilde didn’t appreciate what she had.
. .
. . .and that led to a whole bunch of trouble.
Is DeMaupassant<<not totally sure on pronunciation – does Deb know?>> saying we should stop
wanting what we don’t have?
Or is he just encouraging us to be ourselves? If Mathilde had just slapped on a dress from
her closet. . .
. . .and skipped the fancy jewelry. . .
. . .well, we would have had a different story. Another possible moral to the story. . .
. . .could be the importance of telling the truth.
If Mathilde had just told Madame Forestier she had lost the necklace. . .
. . .she might have lost a friend. . .
. . .but could have kept her maid. . .
. . .and a few francs in the bank. So, what do you think is the moral of The
Necklace? Is it:
Be happy with what you’ve got. . .
Don’t try to be anyone but yourself. . .
or… Tell the truth, even when it’s really, really hard?
Shmoop amongst yourselves.