The Necklace

The summary of the story from today is "The Necklace". It was written by Guy de Maupassant published in 1884 in the french newspaper Le Gaulois. He tries to criticize bourgeoisie and their excess and how far can go the human ambition.

The story presents us a lady called Mathilde, she got marry with a minor clerk of Minister of Education. She couldn´t afford fine clothes, jewels, nothing, but she wanted those things.

One evening, her husband came home with a surprise, they were invited to a reception. Mathilde wasn´t happy, she told him that she didn´t have a evening dress. Her husband ask her how much would cost a simple dress, she told hitm 400 francs. He had set aside just that amount to buy a rifle but he gave her the money.

She already had the dress but she seemed sad because she didn´t have jewel to wear with the dress. Her husband h¡give her the idea of using flowers but she declined it. He gave her another idea, to ask Mme. Forestier to lend her some jewelry. So the next day Mathilde went to visit Mme. Forestier.Mme. Forestier show her some jewelry, until, in a black box there was a necklace that Mathilde really likes, Mme Forestier lended to her.

The day of the party Mathilde was a sensation. She danced wildly and was really happy. She left arund four o´clock, her husband was napping unti Mathilde showed up, he put over her a modest coat from the everyday life. She didn´t want to be seen with that so they leave really fast. They arrived their home and when they were getting undressed Mathilde realized that she didn´t have Mme. Forestier´s necklace. Her husband went to look after it but he didn´t found it. They send a letter to Mme. Forestier to win some time. They started to look how to replace the necklace.

They decided to look after the jeweler that supplied the case, but he didn´t made the necklace. They found a shop that had a necklace that look like the lost, it was sold in 40000 francs and they could get it in 36000. They started to get the money to pay it, Loisel gave his inheritence and got really big debts that he had to pay with the rest of his life, but they give back the necklace to Mme. Forestier.

Mathilde had to dismiss the maid, she learned how to do heavy housework, cooking, washing dishes; her husband worked a lot to balance a tradesman´s accounts. They had this life for 10 years, until everything was paid. Mathilde looked like an old woman, until one sunday she had gone for a walk and she saw Mme. Forestier. She didn't recognized her at first until Mathilde remembered her name. Mathilde claimed her that she had to pay a big debt she had because of the necklace that got lost. Mme. Forestier told her that her necklace wasn't real and it was worth only 500 francs.