Analysis of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

In “The Necklace” Guy de Maupassant depicts a couple of downfalls due to the wife’s careless actions. As the story begins, Mrs. Loisel attends a ball and loses the necklace. Mrs. Loisel is insatiable and oblivious. Mr. Loisel provides for them and dotes on Mrs. Loisel’s hand and foot. They seem to be a very wealthy couple. That quickly changes following Mrs. Loisel’s actions. Her actions are selfish and damaging. Mrs. Loisel losing the necklace causes Mr. Loisel’s major debt, his reputation, and his good name. Maupassant’s “The Necklace” reveals that one’s acts of Insatiable mind, oblivious nature and greed can cause drastic effects on one’s destiny.

Insatiable is a choice. Some choose to be impossible to satisfy even if they’re completely satisfied. Having an unstable mindset gives some individuals something to thrive on because they need that little negativity to them think they need more. Although Mrs. Loisel’s insatiable mind blames destiny for her low status, it was already destined. She does not like to work, “She resents being born in the working class”, said the narrator. Mr. Loisel is so hardworking and caring. She doesn’t have to work through seeing as though her husband dotes on her and provides for them. It seems that no matter what Mr. Loisel does to make her happy, she always craves more. She is greedy. She is so materialistic and craves for a better lifestyle even though she already has one. She needs to learn to humble herself because everything can be gone in a blink of an eye. Being insatiable will get people no were but to working harder to satisfy their destiny.

Mrs. Loisel is very unhappy with her life. Mathilde is arrogant and prideful. Mrs. Loisel craved for more, “She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to be pleased, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after” (Maupassant 5). She is discontent with Mr. Loisel and life in general. Mathilde was a miserable woman and that needed to change because her husband gave her everything she desired. Mr. Loisel stressed herself out trying to better her lifestyle that was already good. She was carelessly going about life and needed to slow down. Mathilde had a good thing going and ruined it. She put her husband in dept for god sake. Mr. Loisel and Mrs. Loisel paid the dept off though. One’s actions should not cause other obstacles. Never do without thinking, think before doing.

One’s oblivious nature is self-centered. Most think the world revolves around themselves and they are so oblivion to that. They are not concerned with what is happening around them even if they caused the problem. Mrs. Loisel’s selfish acts ruined life for herself and for people that cared about her. Mr. Loisel is so self-sacrificing that “He sacrificed his good name to borrow money”, said the narrator to help Mr. Loisel pay off the necklace and caused him a major debt. Although she worked and lost her beauty and charm to help him pay off a debt that lasted 10 years, it still does not justify her careless behavior. Her actions caused this disaster. Mr. Loisel is a self-centered woman and cares for only herself. Instead of taking responsibility for her mistake, she blames her friend for the suffering. How can you even fix yourself to blame your friend seeing as though you caused this on yourself? Don’t blame destiny or your friend blame it on your oblivion mind. Being oblivion and self-centered will lead you and others around to down spiral.

Mathilde wanted fancy, money and whatever her mind imagines. Mathilde felt that was the kind of life for her. Loisel just expects to be given things she hasn’t worked for or earned. Mrs. Loisel simply wants more as if someone owes her something. She will regret her actions, “And she wept all day long, from chagrin, from regret, from despair, and distress. (Maupassant 126). Karma is most definitely true because it came right back around. Mathilde never has the materialistic things she longs for. Trying her best to achieve getting those things such as the necklace, she winds up with fewer things and a lower-class lifestyle. She always wants the nicer things in life rather than just enjoying life. Mrs. Loisel brought her a lot of misery due to her actions. They were middle class. Mrs. Loisel was so ungrateful that she was unsatisfied. Enjoy life not the things that come with life.

Greed is sort of like a fein to some. Once you endure wealth and power, one grows to be addicted to that lifestyle. It, not a healthy way of living it will drain you of happiness. Mrs. Loisel is so simple-minded. She let her greed cause suffering. Mr. Loisel was so weak-minded that he let Mrs. Loisel ruin his reputation and good name. Never let one’s greed for more or careless actions ruin destiny that was well off destined. In “The Necklace” Mr. Loisel “works hard to please Mrs. Loisel”, states the narrator. He loved her so much and she seems as if she was just in it for whatever she could get out of the relationship. She is ungrateful and ruthless. She needs to think before she does because, in the long run, it’ll affect others including herself. Greed is like a drug, so I prefer to steer clear of it by any means.

Mrs. Loisel is never satisfied. Mr. Loisel puts an incredible effort forth to make her happy. Mrs. Loisel is stuck between wanting to live the lifestyle and learning to live her own without certain delicacies. Mathilde wants more, she expects more. She is very unappreciative. She cannot afford the luxuries she wants. Mrs. Loisel is a self-centered woman. These events lead her into a very life crisis. Mathilde Loisel is a raging, spoiled and selfish woman. Mathilde put Mr. Loisel in great dept, “Loisel learned the horrible life of the needy. She made the best of it, moreover, frankly, heroically. The frightful debt must be paid. She would pay for it.” (Maupassant 358). Her greed and careless actions were the cause of many bad obstacles they had to face. Greed gets you no were.

Actions speak louder than words. One’s actions can destroy you and have one’s destiny make a turn for the worst. The loss of the necklace changes the life of a couple, but it is Mr. Loisel who gives his all and sacrificed for them. Think of what you’re doing and what it may cause to those around you. Make your destiny and don’t ruin yours or others. Yes, everyone wants wealth but do not fein for it strives for it. Don’t settle for an unwanted destiny set one for yourself and go for it but while doing so be thoughtful of others. Mrs. Loisel’s destiny was determined by her. Her greed and selfishness lead to her and other’s downfall, but in “The Necklace”, Maupassant illustrates that Mr. Loisel is the backbone of the family.

Works Cited

• Maupassant, Guy de, et al. The Necklace and Other Stories. 7th ed., Borders Classics, 2004.
• “The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant (Book Analysis) » BrightSummaries.com – Literature in a New Light.” BrightSummaries.com – Literature in a New Light, www.brightsummaries.com/guide/the-necklace-by-guy-de-maupassant-book-analysis/
• Primo by Ex Libris, galileo-usg-gsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01GALI_USG_ALMA71125674500002931&context=L&vid=GSU_V1&lang=en_US&search_scope=GSU&adaptor=Local Search Engine&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,the necklace&offset=0
• MAUPASSANT, G. D.; LEWIS, M. The Necklace. Scholastic Scope, [s. l.], v. 59, n. 10, p. 10–15, 2011. Disponível em: <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=fth&AN=58030971&site=eds-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 2 ago. 2019.
• VANSTEENBRUGGE, J. The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis, and Reading Guide. Cork: BrightSummaries.com, 2017. Disponível em: <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=nlebk&AN=1627090&site=eds-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 2 ago. 2019.
• MAUPASSANT, G. de; NEUGROSCHEL, J. The necklace, and other tales. [s.l.] : Modern Library, 2003. Disponível em: <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=cat06552a&AN=gsu.9912697913402952&site=eds-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 2 ago. 2019.