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The Necklace

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Melanie Ducalang
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232 views2 pages

The Necklace

Uploaded by

Melanie Ducalang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Necklace

by Guy de Maupassant

Mathilde Loisel was a beautiful young woman, born into a modest family
of clerks. With no dowry or wealth, she married a minor official in the
Ministry of Public Instruction. Though she lived in modest comfort, she
longed for a luxurious life filled with fine gowns, elegant homes, and
admiration. She constantly felt the weight of her lowly position, yearning
for a world of elegance she could never enter.

Her humble life and shabby home filled her with sorrow. She daydreamed
of grand ballrooms, draped in rich tapestries, where she could shine
among the wealthy and distinguished. At dinner with her husband, she
would picture extravagant meals and lavish surroundings instead of the
simple dishes they shared.

One day, her husband came home excitedly with an invitation to a grand
ball at the Ministry. He expected her to be thrilled, but instead, she threw
the invitation down, frustrated. "What do you want me to wear?" she
asked bitterly. She had no elegant dress for such an event. After some
persuasion, she reluctantly agreed to buy a new dress, costing four
hundred francs—money her husband had been saving for a hunting trip.

As the day of the ball approached, Mathilde grew anxious. "I have no
jewelry," she lamented. "I will look poor among all the rich women." Her
husband, practical as ever, suggested she borrow some from her wealthy
friend, Madame Forestier.

Mathilde visited her friend the next day, who generously offered her
choice of jewels. Among the bracelets and necklaces, Mathilde’s eyes
locked on a stunning diamond necklace. Her heart raced with desire as
she fastened it around her neck. Madame Forestier agreed to lend it to
her, and Mathilde felt overjoyed.

At the ball, Mathilde was the center of attention. She was radiant, and
everyone admired her beauty and grace. Men sought to dance with her,
and even the Minister himself noticed her. For a brief moment, she felt she
had finally become part of the world she so deeply envied.

When the evening ended, she rushed out of the ballroom, eager to avoid
being seen in the modest shawl that contrasted so starkly with her
borrowed elegance. Upon arriving home, she made a terrible discovery:
the necklace was gone! Panic-stricken, she and her husband searched
everywhere but could not find it.

Desperate, they went to jeweler after jeweler, finally finding a similar


necklace priced at thirty-six thousand francs—an enormous sum.
Mathilde's husband borrowed money from everyone he could, agreeing to
ruinous loans to buy the replacement. They returned the new necklace to
Madame Forestier without telling her about the loss.

From that moment on, Mathilde’s life changed. The couple dismissed their
maid, moved into a small garret, and took on grueling work to pay off the
debt. Mathilde scrubbed floors, carried water up the stairs, and bargained
for every penny, while her husband worked late into the night copying
documents for extra money. They lived this way for ten years, slowly
paying off the necklace.

By the end of those ten years, the debt was finally cleared, but the price
had been heavy. Mathilde had aged prematurely. Her beauty was gone,
replaced by rough hands, worn clothes, and a tired, hardened demeanor.
One day, while walking in the Champs-Élysées, she saw Madame
Forestier, still young and beautiful. Overcome with emotion, Mathilde
approached her and revealed the truth.

"Do you remember the diamond necklace you lent me? I lost it and
replaced it with another just like it. It took us ten years to pay for it."

Madame Forestier, shocked, took Mathilde’s hands and said, "Oh, my poor
Mathilde! The necklace was a fake! It was worth only five hundred francs."

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