The Necklace —by Guy De Maupassant | CBSE Class 10 | NCERT Notes by Arihant

Chapter Summary

Matilda Loisel and her Unhappiness

Matilda Liosel was a pretty married lady who had high ambitions. She wished to be wealthy and dreamt of a marvellous life. However, she was born into a family of clerks. She was also married to a clerk, M Liosel who worked in the office of Board of Education.

Matilda believed that she was born for a life of luxury. She always used to dream of elegant dinners, fine crockery, beautiful frocks and delicious dishes.

However, her reality was poverty and this made her miserable. She was always dissatisfied with her life and envied her rich friend.

M Loisel brings an Invitation

One evening Matilda’s husband, MLoisel returned from his office with a large envelope. The envelope consisted of an invitation to a ball (party) at the Minister’s residence. M Loisel thought that his wife would be happy to read the invitation but Matilda threw the invite away in anger. When her husband informed Matilda of his intention, she spitefully told him that she does not have a fancy dress to wear to the ball. She even refuses her husband’s idea of a dress she has and asks him to give the invite to a colleague.

New Dress was Bought

After realising Matilda’s distress, her husband M. Loisel told her that she could buy a new dress. He gave 400 francs that he had saved to buy a gun, to Matilda so that she could buy a new dress.

Matilda was still Unhappy

Matilda bought a new dress but she was still unhappy. When her husband asked about the reason of her unhappiness, Matilda told him that she did not have any jewellery to wear with her dress. Her husband suggested natural flowers.

But Matilda was not convinced and replied that she would look shabby among the rich women. Finally, her husband advised her that she should go to Mme Forestier, her rich friend to borrow her jewellery.

Matilda Gets Necklace from Mme Forestier

Next day, Matilda went to her friend’s house. She told Mme Forestier her problem. So, Mme Forestier brought her jewel case and asked Matilda to make her choice. Matilda tried various pieces of jewellery but ultimately decided to borrow a diamond necklace.

Matilda at the Night of Ball

The night of the ball arrived and Matilda looked very beautiful. Everyone liked her and she was the centre of attraction. She danced with great enthusiasm and happiness. At 4 am, they hired an old carriage and returned home.

The Necklace was Lost

When Matilda returned home and was changing her dress, she wanted to have a final view ofherselfbefore the mirror. Suddenly, she noticed that the necklace was not around her neck. She cried out and informed her husband about the same.

Her husband searched for the necklace everywhere they went last night. He went to the police and the cab offices. He also put an advertisement in the newspapers offering reward, but the necklace was not found. So he advised his wife to write a letter to her friend telling her that the clasp of the necklace was broken and she needed some time to get the necklace repaired.

Matilda Replaces the Necklace

At last, Matilda and her husband decided to replace the necklace. They searched for a similar necklace everywhere and found it in a shop at Palais Royal.

The necklace cost them 36000 Francs. Her husband gave his 18000 francs which his father had left for him. He also took loans of the remaining amount and purchased a diamond necklace. Finally, Matilda returned the necklace to her friend.

Life of Poverty

After replacing the necklace, Matilda and her husband lived in poverty. They sent away the maid, changed their lodgings and rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda had to do all the household work. She started dressing simply and even went to get her grocery.

Her husband worked day and night. He spent his evening putting the books of some merchants and did some copying at night. Finally, they were able to pay off their debt after ten years.

Matilda had Changed

After ten years, Matilda had changed. She had became an old, strong and hard woman. Her hair was nessy, her skirts were uneven, her hands were red and she used to speak in a loud tone. She also often wondered of the life she would have lived is she had not lost the necklace.

The Truth of Necklace Revealed

One Sunday while Matilda was walking in the ChampsElysees, she saw Mme Forestier. She was looking charming and beautiful as she had looked ten years before. Matilda was hesitant but decided to tell Mme Forestier about her necklace. Initially, Mme Forestier did not recognise her, upon introduction, she was shocked. When she got to know about Matilda’s misery and her necklace, she was even more surprised. She told Matilda, that the necklace she had replaced was fake and cost around only 500 francs.

Reference – @Arihant