The Necklace: The Downfall Of Mathilde Loisel

The Necklace: The Downfall of Mathilde Loisel

Jealousy and envy are among the greatest of sins and have been the down

fall of many. Maupassant's "The Necklace" is the story of a woman who is

overcome with jealousy and envy. Mathilde Loisel feels she has been cheated by

life from all of the wonderful things it has to offer. The reader learns how

these qualities in Mme. Loisel come back to haunt her for many years as the

story unfolds with an ironic ending.

Mathilde Loisel, as the main character of the story, is truly believable.

She is described as "one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes,

born into a family of clerks"(900). The author describes how she suffers from

her lifestyle of being middle-class. There is a stereotypical "rich man, poor

man" quality as Mme. Loisel longs for the material things that her old

schoolmate Mme. Forester has. The physical appearance of the characters as well

as their actions, thought, and emotions are very detailed throughout the story.

The main character's life, as well as her husband's, takes a dramatic turn and

the author describes the physical and emotional changes in great detail.

The story's title does not signify the theme however, the theme of the

story is reiterated throughout the story. "She had no dresses, no jewels,

nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so

have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought aft...