The Necklace

Lindsay
Holly

Kaitlyn

Summary:

The Necklace, by Guy de Maupassant, takes place in Paris in the late 1880's. A young woman, Mathilde Loisel, is always depressed because she feels she was born to live lavishly in wealth. Instead of being rich, she settles marrying M. Loisel, a simple clerk. Trying to make his wife happy, M. Loisel presents her with an invitation to an elegant party, but instead of being overwhelmed with excitement, she is saddened by the fact that she doesn't have the proper attire. Giving up his savings for a rifle, Mathilde's loving husband provides her with 400 francs she needs for a new dress. Even though she has a new dress, she is not satisfied with the fact that she doesn't have a gem to wear. She goes and visits her rich friend, Mme. Forestier, to borrow a diamond necklace.

When Mathilde and her husband arrive at the party, all of the men want to dance with her, and all of the women are envious. Mathilde has the best night of her life. To her despair, when she arrives home, she realizes she has lost the precious necklace. They search everywhere but cannot find it. Needing to replace the necklace, they go to a jewelry store and find one identical to the one she lost. 40,000 francs, the price of the necklace, is something they cannot afford, so M. Loisel borrows the money from several people.

For the next ten years, Mathilde and her husband work to pay back the money. When the debt is finally paid, their marriage is lost, and Mathilde is dirt poor. One day while she is on a walk, she runs into her old, affluent friend, Mme. Forestier. Her friend reveals in the conversation that the necklace she lent Mathilde was a fraud and only worth 500 francs. This ironic ending to the story further supports the theme that you should always be grateful for what you have.

The performance of this short story was a great portrayal of the conflicts with society in the nineteenth century. The actors and actresses were perfect for each character, especially the unappreciative Mathilde Loisel. The actors and actresses spoke loudly towards the audience and made good eye contact. A negative aspect of the performance was the actor's fake accents. It was sometimes difficult to comprehend what they were saying.