Appearance and Reality in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Necklace
Appearance vs. Reality in The Necklace
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The Necklace can be considered one of the most significant and well-known works of Guy de Maupassant. The author wrote this short story in 1884; it was published in the same year for the first time. The Necklace presents an ironic ending, which is a distinct feature of de Maupassant’s writing style. This paper discusses the problem of appearance and reality presented in the story, as well as conveys de Maupassant’s idea behind its ending.

The Necklace

The story tells the reader about Mathilde Loisel, who has always wanted to be an aristocrat and follow an upper social class lifestyle. She dreams about wearing expensive clothes and having beautiful dresses and jewelry. Her dreams are a significant part of her life, and she is ashamed of her current social position and the house she has to live in. Mathilde’s husband invites her to the Ministry of Education party, and she decides to borrow a fancy necklace from one of her friends to attend this important event. After the party, the woman realizes that she had lost the necklace and tries to replace it, paying 40,000 francs for a similar and falling in debt for the next ten years. A decade later, the woman accidentally meets her friend again, who tells Mathilde that the piece of jewelry was fake and not worth much money.

Appearance vs. Reality in The Necklace

One of the major themes of the story is the difference between appearance and reality. From the beginning of the story, the reader can feel that Mathilde is irritated with her appearance and distressed with “the poverty of her apartment” and the reality she has to live in (De Maupassant 31). The woman is envious of other people, who live in houses with fine furniture, wear expensive clothes, and eat delicious food. She feels like she does not belong to her social class and is born into it by mistake. When Mathilde’s husband invites her to the party, the woman realizes that her appearance is different from the looks of its attendees. She imagines elegantly dressed people whose wealth radiates through their expensive clothes. Mathilde’s friend, Ms. Forestier, also belongs to the high class in the woman’s eyes, as she has many fine pieces of jewelry. At the party, Mathilde’s appearance becomes a success, as everyone seems interested in her. She sees that all those wealthy people she has always envied treat her as if she belonged to their social class.

However, de Maupassant wants to tell the reader that appearance does not mean anything and that envy has its price. Mathilde learns that the necklace was a fake, which means that nothing that the woman had believed is true. Expensive-looking dresses and jewelry, as well as individuals’ appearance, cannot tell others anything about their wealth. They only show how much effort a person puts in preserving their social position. By adding an ironic twist, the author shows that the classist attitude may be dangerous (Kuhn 18). He conveys the idea that appearances may be significantly different from reality, and it may be harmful to an individual to believe otherwise.

Conclusion

The Necklace is a notable piece of literature that conveys an important idea. It shows that perceptions based on other people’s appearances may differ from reality. One should not envy others because they seem wealthy or have a better social status. The outcomes of such misconception may result in negative outcomes, as it happened for Mathilde Loisel because she thought that the necklace was authentic.

Works Cited

De Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace and Other Short Stories. Dover Publications, 1992.

Kuhn, Gielle. Exploring French Short Stories: Guy de Maupassant’s Writing Style and Social Justice. 2016.

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Appearance and Reality in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

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