STORY OF THE DAY

THE NECKLACE: GUY DE MAUPASSANT 

 Detailed Summary

Mathilde Loisel, a young woman of modest means, is dissatisfied with her simple life. Though married to a kind, hardworking clerk in the Ministry of Education, she dreams of luxury, wealth, and social prestige.

One day, her husband secures an invitation to a grand ball hosted by the Ministry. Mathilde is upset—she has no elegant dress or jewels to wear. Her husband sacrifices his savings, set aside for a hunting gun, so she can buy a beautiful gown. Yet, Mathilde still feels incomplete without jewelry. To solve this, she borrows a dazzling diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.

At the ball, Mathilde is the center of attention. She is admired for her beauty, grace, and elegance—living, for one night, the life of her dreams. But when she returns home, her joy shatters—the necklace is missing.

She and her husband search frantically but cannot find it. Too ashamed to admit the loss, Mathilde decides to replace it. They borrow huge sums of money, fall into crushing debt, and buy an identical necklace.

For the next ten years, the Loisels live in grinding poverty. Mathilde, once graceful and delicate, becomes hardened and aged by endless toil and sacrifice.

One day, after repaying all their debts, Mathilde encounters Madame Forestier and decides to confess. With a bitter smile, she tells her friend how she had lost the necklace and suffered ten years of misery to replace it.

Stunned, Madame Forestier reveals the shocking truth:

“Oh, my poor Mathilde! The necklace was fake. It was worth at most five hundred francs.”

Arising this story.

The story ends on this cruel irony, highlighting the futility of vanity, pride, and the harsh twists of fate.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its kind help in summarising this beautiful story.