Life Changing Power In Guy De Maupassant's 'The Necklace'

Guy De Maupassant’s, “The Necklace” is a short story about a woman whose life is not what she feels she deserves. The woman, Mathilda, lives in an illusory world where appearances, objects, and associations have life changing powers. Each three of Mathilda’s “life changing powers” will touch on the themes listed; that it can be dangerous to be obsessed with materialistic things, be appreciative of what you have, and don’t be deceitful to others or yourself. Maupassant was influenced by the schools of realism and naturalist. If someone was to read Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace” they would observe the influence of realism since this fictional story is about a realistic middleclass household in the 1870’s. Mathilda in the story desires

At the beginning of Maupassant’s story he goes through a long wish list of all the fine things Mathilda dreams of having. Mathilda believes that those objects hold power to shape and enrich one’s life. Only by having these object does she think she will be happy. Though these objects hold no true power she is blind and pursues them anyways. Mathilda managed to receive a desirable dress and a necklace for the ball being held. These objects in a sense did have powers to be true. The powers of illusion and deceit was their cunning trait. She attended the ball with her lavished items, she received all the praise, and all the excitement she dreamed of. To this degree the objects were successful at fooling others at the ball that she was a high aristocratic woman who could afford such pleasantries. So in reality the objects don’t work as she would believe in her delusion. The necklace in particular has a major impact on Madame and Monsieur Louisel. After Mathilda loses the necklace the couple cooperate to keep it secret and replace the fancy necklace with a new one. This puts them in extreme poverty, hardship, and a sense false righteous sacrifice. The necklace held this unseen power to flip their old middle class life into the lowest ends of poverty. Although the object itself still did little to nothing but be. In all truth, Madame and

The associations Mathilda makes with people is one of the major sources that seal her fate. Mathilda clearly associates her household with being poor and worthless. She dreads her everyday dinner with her husband; scoffing at her home, the average meal, the clear normality of their lives. She thinks of herself too highly, too pretty to be in the home of a lowly store clerk. Mathilda associate her own husband as being the essence of lower life because he does not make the lots of money to feed her inner desires. Since this is the case Mathilda associates the best she can with her friend Madame Forestier. Forestier is the lady Mathilda would like to be, beautiful and rich. By befriending Madame Forestier, Mathilda thinks she can get closer to becoming a lady of stature, grace, and riches. Madame Forestier has box and boxes of jewelry and is where Mathilda barrows the necklace from. Though Mathilda sees Madame Forestier as key to evolving, in reality Madame Forestier can do little to help her. The little Madame Forestier did do was lend a necklace, she has no power over Mathilda’s life, only Mathilda does. Mathilda has similar views of going to the ball. Mathilda refuses to go to the ball without a dress and necklace because she thinks all the other ladies there are going to have these things. There would be only shame to Mathilda’s name if she were to attend with