The main character of Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” Loisel Mathilde, changes in various ways throughout the story. “The Necklace” is a narrative featuring a hopeless, conceited, middle-class housewife who desires the noble lifestyle that she feels she deserves. In highlighting Mathilde’s unsympathetic self-centeredness while preparing for the party to which she was invited, and the reaction after she had lost the necklace she believed to be expensive, exposes her pride and nature. Consequently, this becomes the central theme of the story. The author portrays Mathilde as continuously changing throughout the novel. Through both the theme of wealth and the imagery and symbolism associated with the necklace itself, the reader sees Mathilde embark on a superficial journey that eventually backfires.
There are several themes to this story, the most obvious being that of wealth. "The Necklace" is so titled because of the diamond necklace that drives the story forwards. However, the pricey jewelry is not the only example of the wealth theme. Mathilde is fanatical about wealth. As Brackett points out, “she suffers constantly from what she views as a life of poverty” (Brackett). However, it was unfortunate for her since she was not born into a wealthy family who could afford the lifestyle she wants to live and make her dreams come true. Instead, she is rather married to a “little clerk” (De Maupassant) and they live in a shabby apartment. Furthermore, we see through Mathilde’s jealousy towards her wealthy friend just how deep her desire runs. Of course, the theme is continued to the end when she loses the necklace and learns the true meaning of poverty (Brackett).
The central image to this story is, of course, the necklace. This item of jewelrey appears to be laden with symbolism, again adding to the theme. It is classy and striking and, therefore, seems to be of high value. However, despite its appearance, it turns out to be a fake. The necklace could be seen as a symbol of wealth, as it is in many ways throughout “The Necklace.” Just like "wealth," the necklace is what drives Mathilde's yearning. It is possible that the disclosure of the necklace's fakeness is supposed to echo the fakeness of Mathilde's vision of wealth.
There seems to be a link between wealth and appearance, in this story, for example when Mathilde seems more beautiful when wearing the necklace and her new dress. Therefore, taking this into account, perhaps the necklace symbolizes not only wealth, but appearance as well. Of course, in context the word “appearance” does not just refer to a person’s physical appearance, but everything which is visible to the rest of the world. Mathilde is miserable because of the appearance of her run down house, and the way that not having money means that she cannot impress others. The necklace is stylish, and it provides her with the chance of fulfilling her dreams, albeit for just one evening at the party. However, despite appearances, the necklace is worthless. In this way, it mirrors Mathilde's position while at the party: she manages to mislead people there but, in fact, she is not actually rich, and she goes home at the end of the party to her life in the shabby house.
That the necklace is fake could contain some ethical symbolism. It could mean that appearances are, essentially, fake. While the setting signifies wealth and appearance, Mathilde’s lack of money contrasts with this. Suffering from poverty causes her appearance to deteriorate, but it makes her be a more responsible and conscientious person. Therefore, it could be argued that poverty makes a person appreciate what little they do have, whereas wealth makes people greedy. On the other hand, Maupassant does not overtly hand us this message. It is, essentially, down to the interpretation of the individual reader. Furthermore, a reader’s personal financial status may cause them to interpret the story differently to readers of different statuses.
The point of view in “The Necklace” is an interesting one. It is in third person omniscient and the narrative centers, almost exclusively, around Mathilde. However, unlike many stories, the narrator does not speak from the protagonist’s viewpoint. Rather, he speaks about her as if he were an outsider. When he mentions her near the start, he says she is “one of those girls.” The narrator is definitely omniscient as he looks into her husband’s mind when he chooses to do so.
The characterization, plot and theme of the story exposes Mathilde’s shift in character, several times, from the beginning to the end of the story. The reader can easily understand the changing character of Mathilde from the beginning of the story. The difficult lessons that Mathilde learns assist in maturing her as a woman and, indeed, as a human being. The author has intelligently used the central image of the necklace to weave in symbolic meanings which, in turn, highlight the theme of the story.
Works Cited
Brackett, V. “The Necklace.” Galileo. 2012. Web. 26 March 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail?sid=c4f74ade-7e23-43b4-98bf-98c05a678c8b%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=123&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=103331MP423449820000699&anchor=toc
De Maupassant, G. “The Necklace.” 2009. Shamrock Eden Publishing.
Kleine-Ahlbrandt, L. “The Necklace.” Galileo. 2012. Web. 26 March 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail?vid=5&hid=123&sid=1adb4fbc-713a-429f-b128-ba17c62f4f1c%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=103331MSS18969240000218
