Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Necklace



The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant was a short story that really captivates me when we tackle about it in our English class during my high school years. The plot twist in the end was the one that made me like the story. At first, I really don’t know what to expect from the story since the title was just a piece of jewelry and it kinds of confuse me how will the necklace could be a great impact in the story.

The short story was about a girl named Mathilde who belongs to the family of artisans. She let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education. The story revolves around the company ball where she borrowed a necklace from her friend Madame Forestier and lost it on her way home. She and her husband replace it with a necklace that very much alike of the lost necklace that cost thirty-four thousand francs. They need to work hard to pay for the necklace for the next ten years and they look really old at that time. When Mathilde saw Forestier one day and still looking young, she bragged everything that happened ten years ago. Forestier then told Mathilde that the necklace that she lend to her was an imitation that cost five hundred francs.

I really love how the author wrote the story in a narrating manner and how he ended the story. It will make you think about what would be the reaction of Mathilde? Will she get the necklace back? Or Madame Forstier will keep the necklace and Mathilde will live in misery and regret? It is in the hand of the reader on what he/she wants to happen to the characters.

The story shows how Mathilde was unsatisfied of her life. The story also reflects to us people not being satisfied on what we have.  Sometimes achieving for the best thing could make us into something else. That we wouldn’t settle for simple things. It is not bad to seek for expensive things but we should always remember our limitations. Also, admitting your mistake will ease your guilt. You cannot cover a mistake with another mistake. It will just make the whole situation worse. It will also make you regret the things that you should have done sooner. 


I like how simple things could do a great impact in our life. It shows that attention and luxury is not just the only thing that could make us happy. Admitting our mistake is not that easy but sometimes it is the right thing to do. It will just complicate things just like what happened to Mathilde. I wonder if Mathilde didn’t lose the necklace or if she admitted it sooner, would she be happy with her life? Would she still be living her life like it is used to or would she still be seeking for luxury? The Necklace is a story that has an interesting point on how society affects our wants in life. That what we think is on the trend we would also want to have it just to be” belong” to the class. The simple jewelry made a lesson that we will be ought to remember and we would be carrying it throughout our lives.

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