The Necklace
A borrowed diamond necklace costs a woman ten years of her life
Summary
Matilda Loisel is a pretty but discontented woman who longs for wealth and luxury far beyond her modest middle-class life. When her husband obtains an invitation to a grand ball, she borrows a glittering diamond necklace from her rich friend Madame Forestier so as to appear elegant, and enjoys a dazzling evening as the prettiest woman there.
Disaster strikes when she loses the necklace on the way home. Too ashamed to confess, the Loisels buy a replacement diamond necklace by taking on crushing debts. To repay the money, they dismiss their maid, move to a cheap attic, and Matilda spends ten long years doing hard, coarse household labour that destroys her youth and beauty.
Years later Matilda meets Madame Forestier and finally tells her the truth. Her friend, shocked, reveals that the original necklace was a fake, worth almost nothing. The story is a powerful lesson on the dangers of vanity, pretence and discontent, and on how a single false step can ruin a life.
Key points to remember
- Matilda Loisel: beautiful but vain and dissatisfied, longing for riches.
- Mr Loisel: a kind, contented clerk who sacrifices much for his wife.
- Madame Forestier: Matilda's wealthy friend who lends the necklace.
- Matilda borrows a necklace for the ball, then loses it.
- The couple take on heavy debt to replace it with a real diamond necklace.
- Ten years of hard labour ruin Matilda's youth and beauty.
- Twist: the borrowed necklace was a cheap imitation all along.
- Themes: vanity, discontent, pretence, and the value of honesty and contentment.
Important questions (board pattern)
- 6 marksHow did the loss of the necklace change the life of the Loisels?
How to answer: Describe the debts, dismissed maid, cheap attic, ten years of hard labour, and the ruin of Matilda's looks and youth.
- 3 marksWhat is the irony at the end of The Necklace?
How to answer: Explain that the Loisels suffered for ten years to replace a necklace that was actually a worthless imitation.
- 3 marksWhat kind of woman was Matilda Loisel?
How to answer: Beautiful, vain, dissatisfied, fond of luxury and ashamed of her modest life — support each trait.
- 3 marksHad Matilda confessed the loss to Madame Forestier, how might things have differed?
How to answer: Honesty could have revealed the necklace was fake and spared the couple ruin — link to the theme of pretence.
- 2 marksWhat message does the story convey?
How to answer: Vanity and discontent are destructive; honesty and contentment are wiser.
Common exam traps
- The necklace was a fake/imitation, revealed only at the end — this is the key irony.
- Matilda lost the necklace; it was not stolen from her.
- The couple replaced it with a real diamond necklace, which caused their debt.
- The ordeal lasted about ten years — state the duration correctly.
- Mr Loisel is supportive, not a villain — he shares her suffering.
Frequently asked questions
- Who wrote The Necklace?
- It was written by the French author Guy de Maupassant.
- Was the lost necklace real?
- No. At the end, Madame Forestier reveals that the original necklace was only a cheap imitation worth very little.
- What is the moral of The Necklace?
- That vanity, pretence and discontent can ruin one's life, while honesty and contentment are far wiser.