~Summary~
-by Guy De Maupassant
Matilda Loisel and her Unhappiness
Matilda Loisel, a middle class lady, desperately wished she were wealthy. She was very pretty and charming but had the bad luck to be born into a family of clerks and married to another clerk, M Loisel. Her husband worked as a clerk in the office of the Board of Education. Matilda was simple but she was unhappy. She was so convinced that she's meant to be rich that she detested her real life and spent all day dreaming and despairing about the fabulous life that she was not having.
M Loisel Brings an Invitation
One day, M Loisel brought an invitation to a fancy ball (party) organised by his boss, the Minister of Education. M Loisel thought that her wife would be delighted to read the invitation but she was not delighted to see the invitation. She told her husband that she did not have a good dress to wear to that occasion and asked him to give the invitation to his friend. Her husband M Loisel, told her that she could buy a new dress. He had saved four hundred francs to buy a gun to join some hunting parties. He said that he would give that money to her for buying a new dress.
Matilda Gets Necklace from Mme Forestier
Matilda brought a new dress but she was not happy. Her husband asked the reason of her sadness. She said that she would not go for the ball as she did not have jewellery to wear with the dress. He replied that she should wear some natural flowers, but she was not convinced. Then he advised her to borrow it from her friend, Mme Forestier. Next day, she went to her friend's house and borrowed a necklace for the ball.
Matilda at the Day of Ball
The night of the ball arrived and Matilda was happy at the occasion. She looked very beautiful in the dress. Everyone liked her and she was absolutely thrilled. She and her husband did not leave until 4 am. Then they caught a cab and returned home.
The Necklace was Lost
When she returned home and was changing her dress, Matilda wanted to see her beauty in final view before the mirror. Suddenly, she noticed that the necklace was not around her neck. She was shocked to see that her necklace had got lost. She cried out and informed her husband that she had lost the necklace. Her husband searched for the necklace on every place, where they went last night. He went to the police and the cab offices. He also put an advertisement in the newspapers, but the necklace was not found. So he advised her wife to write a letter to her friend telling her that she needed some time to get the necklace repaired.
Matilda Replace the Necklace
At last, Matilda decided to replace the necklace with a necklace that looked similar to it. Her husband gave her 18000 francs which his father had left for him. He took a loan of the remaining amount and purchased a diamond necklace for 36000 francs. She returned the necklace to her friend. Buying the necklace bought the Loisel in poverty. They lost their house, their maid, their comfortable lifestyle and on top of it all, Matilda lost her good-looking face.
The Truth Revealed Out
After ten years, all the debts were finally paid. One day Matilda was walking in the Champs-Elysees and saw Mme Forestier. She was looking charming and beautiful as she had looked ten years before. Now all the debts were paid off, Matilda decided to tell the story to Mme Forestier about her necklace. At this, Mme Forestier informed her that it was a fake necklace and the cost of it was only five hundred francs.
Conclusion of The Necklace
In the chapter – The Necklace focuses that one should be content and satisfied with their belongings and not crave for expensive items that are not within their economical capabilities. Extreme desire for lavish items leads to unhappiness and loss of peace of mind.