What Happens to Mathilde in The Diamond Necklace by Guy de Maupassant - Book Report/Review Example

Thesis statement: The fate of Mathilde in ‘The Diamond Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and personal reflection on the same. As pointed out, Mathilde (Matilda/ Mme. Loisel) belongs to the middle class but her ambition was to lead a life with more wealth and social status. Guy de Maupassant makes clear that: “And she wept for whole days from chagrin, from regret, from despair and disappointment” (29). But her husband’s job as a clerk and their living circumstance hinders her to attain the social strata of high society.

Once, Mathilde’s husband was invited to attend a ball and this ignited her unfulfilled dreams. So she began to force her husband to buy a new dress. Her husband bought a new dress and she borrowed a diamond necklace from her friend. Mathilde attended the ball and enjoyed it a lot with her husband. When she returned home, she came to know that the diamond necklace was lost. But Mathilde was so loyal to her friend and decided to buy another necklace for her friend. So, the rest of their life was dedicated to repaying the debt.

Mathilde and her husband struggled hard to meet both ends of their life, for a long ten years. The author makes clear that: “She learned the heavy cares of a household, the odious work of a kitchen” (32). The loss of the Diamond Necklace helped Mathilde to learn a life lesson that the face value of an object may be different from its real value. Mathilde’s fall from Middle-Class life to the lower strata of society is symbolic of the failure of her vision about life. For instance, Mathilde dreams about a wealthy life but she is not aware of her husband’s dilemma to meet the unending needs of his wife.

Besides, Mathilde was living in a dream world full of happiness, social status, and luxurious food and clothing. Her tendency to live in a dream world forces the family to suffer poverty for ten years (to repay the debt). So, one can see that Mathilde’s unending desire to lead the life of the rich totally ruined their family life for years. If Mathilde asked her friend about the real value of the Diamond Necklace, the whole problem will be solved. Instead, Mathilde did not ask her friend about the real value of the Diamond necklace and tried to conceal the loss of the same.

If Mathilde’s husband secretly enquired about the real value of the necklace, the whole problem will come to an end. Instead, he was a puppet in his wife’s hands. He asks his wife to borrow a necklace from her friend; he did not say anything against her decision. If the story is manipulated by Mathilde’s husband to bring her back to the real world, the end of the story could have been different. For instance, Loisel can ask Mathilde’s friend about the real value of the necklace and both of them can decide to teach Mathilde a lesson.

At the end of the story, Loisel and Madame Forestier can reveal the fact. If I were Mathilde Loisel, I may not buy anything from my friends. Instead, I will decide to attend the ball in my new dress. Instead of forcing Loisel, I will take the initiative to make our life more comfortable. I am aware of the fact that poverty is not permanent but temporary. For instance, Loisel is an employee who is regularly paid. So, it will not be difficult to meet household needs. But I will not give up my dream; I will start some part-time business to save money for a prosperous life in the future.

So, the story of Mathilde Loisel and her husband is a lesson to all who have false assumptions about real value.