The Necklace: The Power Of Pride

The Power of Pride
In the short story, “The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant, pride is shown in two major ways, the importance of reputation and the idea that pride itself is able to sway our actions. The story’s main character, Mathilde Loisel, is not willing to give up pride in herself and sacrifices years of her life because she is unable to admit her failures. She is caught up impressing others, and worries about obtaining the reputation of a polished, poised women.
At the beginning of the story, Mathilde is relatively innocent to the idea of a high-class reputation. The author writes that “she had no expectations…was born into a family of clerks by mistake.” Her pride at the beginning of the story is almost absent. She encountered

with few other than her husband, and is portrayed as shy. But as soon as Mathilde’s husband informs her of the ball, her mind slowly begins to drift. First, she wants a new dress and manipulates her clerk husband to give her money. Mathilde wants to feel pride in the way she looks and the quality of her dress. Already, she is caught up impressing others and her own self-pride. She begins to draw joy from materialistic things. Nowhere does it say she was grateful for her husband, who had to go to great lengths to get the invitation.
Mathilde then asks her friend to borrow her most magnificent necklace so she can show it off to others. She says, “It annoys me not to have a single stone, nothing to put on. I shall look like a distress. I should rather not go…” Her pride in looking the part has overcome the idea of just going with her husband to enjoy the time together. Again, she is seen pulling joy from things like a necklace. Mathilde even says, “…there’s nothing more humiliating then to look poor among the other women who are so rich.” In her world, Mathilde believes money is pride.
When Mathilde looses the special necklace she is heartbroken. The expensive clothing and the night out has made her vain. She is unwilling to bring herself to tell her friend that she has lost the necklace. The author, Maupassant, makes the reader believe that Mathilde is a stubborn character who feels it is more important to save her dignity and lie to her friend. The replacing of the luxurious necklace takes years to pay back. By the end of story, the reader views Mathilde’s pride as one of hard work and fortitude. Although Mathilde’s poor decisions led her to years of distress, at the end of the story, Maupassant portrays her character in a way that makes the reader feel as if Mathilde has learned the power of pride and the effect it has on life.