The Necklace Greed

Coveting, desiring what others posses, is a double-edged sword. Coveting someone else’s possessions can serve as a drive to better oneself and strive to achieve the things one currently does not poses but desires. On the other hand, it can create a sense of worthlessness and misery, a feeling of inferiority and constant envy of what others have. The character of the individual will determine how these feelings of desire translate. In the short story, “The Necklace”, Guy de Maupassant presents the reader with a story about how coveting and selfishness can cloud an individual’s judgment, prompting them to act irrationally, and ultimately leading them to their own downfall.
The story’s protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, is a young and beautiful woman
whose sole desire in life is to belong to the high-class society of Paris. However, she is born into a low class family and marries a man who is no more than a clerk in a government institution. From the very beginning of the story, the reader can appreciate the way Mathilde sees herself through Maupassant’s diction – “She had no marriage portion, no expectations, no means of getting known, understood, loved… She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for all delicacies and luxuries.” (Maupassant 3) A critique on class-consciousness describes her character as “fashion conscious, self-important woman… in the belief that with her personality she could be at the centre of any elite gathering.” (Fonseka 1) It is instantly clear she is shallow and miserable, as she places her happiness on material things and constantly sulks about what she lacks, for “she had no clothes, no jewels, nothing.
And she loved nothing but
these…” (Maupassant 5 ) She is also naïve and her shallowness means she is easily deceived by appearances; because the necklace came in its own “black satin case”, she immediately assumes it is expensive and grand, and takes it without hesitating, her heart beating “covetously”, never doubting its originality. (Maupassant 47) When Mathilde attends the party, wearing her expensive dress and diamond necklace, she feels glamorous; in her mind, she is the center of attention, “prettier than anyone else, stylish, graceful, smiling, and wild with joy.” (Maupassant 51) In a way, she has finally risen up to be what she was born to be; for her, this is the happiest night of her young life.
The character of Mathilde greatly clashes with that of her husband, Monsieur Loisel, who is selfless and constantly puts his wife’s desires before his own.
We see displays of his character throughout – when he gives her the money he was saving to buy herself a dress, when he goes out to look for the lost necklace even though he has to work in a few hours, and ultimately, when he signs away his future and his inheritance in loans and notes so they can replace the lost item. Nonetheless, his character is static and does not change, even in the difficult circumstances. Nonetheless, even through these situations, Mathilde does not change but remains the same selfish and self-centered individual, never thinking about her husband and never offering a helping hand, and failing to “appreciate the love and loyalty of her husband.” (Miller 5) Rather, she takes his money happily, and stays inside the warm house when he goes out to look for the necklace she lost. The author uses the sharp contrast between the two personalities as a representation of society, composed of those who work tirelessly to help others and those who are shallow and take selflessly and without remorse, basing their happiness on material
possessions.
When the necklace is lost, the world changes for Madam and Monsieur Loisel. Not being able to own up to their mistake, they attempt to deceive Madam Forestier , secretly buying a new string of diamonds in replacement. This act of deceiving costs them a very high price. Once again, the selfless Monsieur Loisel gives up his inheritance and signs away loans that he does not even know if he can ever pay. That night of fame and glamour quickly becomes their downfall as they lose everything. For the first time in the story, Mathilde is forced to work in order for them to save up as much money as they can. Given the situation the Loisel’s find themselves in, and the diction used by Maupassant to depict their next ten years in poverty, the reader expects Mathilde to present some change at the end of the story – to become more humble and grateful. However, these expectations die when Mathilde encounters Madam Forestier on the street. Once again, Mathilde cannot hold herself back from proudly bragging about the suffering she has endured and how she has pushed through – no matter the circumstances, Mathilde once again proves that all she cares about is that other might perceive her as the very best.
In an ironic, yet tragic ending, Mathilde learns that Madam’s Forestier necklace was not a real diamond but merely a cheap replica, bringing back and tying up the whole story to the theme of deceiving appearances and coveting. (Smith 8) Through this short story, Maupassant makes a harsh critic against a society where individuals are judged based on materials possession; morals will soon be lost and coveting will be its own rise and downfall. The “story is a cautionary tale that superficial luxuries aren’t always what they seem. The dogged pursuit of these can leave you empty in the end.” (Miller 1)