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The Necklace Short Story

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The Necklace In the book “The Necklace” Madame Loisel lived in the middle class society but longed to be a member of high society. She wanted to live above her means and would do whatever it took to get there. Her husband provided the stepping stone to enter the world of the upper class by getting an invitation to a prominent reception. From there she talked her husband into giving her the money to have a wonderful dress to fit in with them and then the final highlight was to borrow a wonderful diamond necklace from Madame Forestier to wear to the reception. The ironic situation is the source of her joy, the necklace, becomes her downfall when she loses it and has to work the next ten years of her life to replace it. She not only loses her middle income status but falls into poverty and spends the rest of her life suffering for her dreams. The theme of the short story, "The Necklace" is to be happy with what you have and not be greedy. In the short story, “The Necklace”, Guy de Maupassant illustrates what can happen when one is overcome with greed. Maupassant suggests that only bad fortune is in store for one who bases his or her worth on material possessions and becomes consumed with greed. First of all, Maupassant shows that greed can make one unsatisfied and miserable. The main character, Mathilde, becomes obsessed with having only the best possessions. She makes herself miserable by sitting at home thinking about how poor she is and dreaming about having a rich life.

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