Sparknotes The Necklace

The Necklace is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant that tells the tale of a beautiful Madame Loisel. To her greatest misfortune Madame Loisel is burdened to live the life of a middle-class woman, however she believes she deserves the life of an upper-class figure due to her beauty and charm. Although Madame Loisel is married to a simple clerk, Monseur Loisel, he knows of her longing of the social elites. Monsieur Loisel is able to acquire an invitation to the Ministry ball where his wife can finally take part in the life she dreams of. At the ball Madame Loisel looks the part of an upper-class woman after buying a dress and borrowing a necklace from her wealthy friend. She has an intoxicating time at the ball, but at the end of the night Madame Loisel returns home and realizes she has lost her friend’s necklace. Unable to find it, the Loisel’s borrowed a substantial amount of money to buy a replacement necklace. The couple was in debt for ten years and had to live a burdened, hard working life. Once all the debts were repaid she finally told her friend of the replacement jewelry. The friend laughs and informs her that the original was not worth much. After being analyzed, the story The Necklace shifts from being a sad tale to
An individual portrays themselves as one thing, but underneath the façade, they are a different entity. In The Necklace Madame Loisel embodies this phrase. She believes her beauty means she is meant for a greater life than that of the middle-class. Donaldson-Evans speaks of the deceptive tone of the narrator and how the contrast between Madame Loisel’s beauty and the mediocrity of her life are repeatedly underlined (167). Madame Loisel becomes the epitome of “looks can be deceiving” when she dresses as a social elite and goes to the ball. She pretends to be a piece of society that she is not and through her appearance and charm, deceives everyone at the