The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant It is a short story about a woman named Mathilde Loisel who is obsessed with wealth and social status. She is married to a loving and supportive husband, but she is constantly unhappy because she feels that she deserves a better life. One day, Mathilde is invited to a grand ball hosted by a former classmate who is now wealthy and successful. Mathilde is determined to make a good impression, but she does not have a dress that is suitable for the occasion. She goes to her friend, Jeanne Forestier, and borrows a diamond necklace. At the ball, Mathilde is the envy of all the other women. She dances and flirts until the early hours of the morning. When it is time to leave, she realizes that she has lost the necklace. She and her husband search everywhere, but the necklace is nowhere to be found. Mathilde and her husband are devastated. They cannot afford to replace the necklace, so they borrow money from a loan shark to pay Forestier back. They spend the next ten years working hard to repay the loan, living in poverty and squalor. One day, Mathilde sees Jeanne Forestier on the street. Forestier is now old and haggard, and she tells Mathilde that the necklace she borrowed was a fake. Mathilde is devastated. She realizes that she has wasted her life chasing after something that was not real. The Necklace is a cautionary tale about the dangers of materialism and social climbing. It is also a reminder that true wealth is not about what you have, but about who you are.