The Charming Mathilde in the Story The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

Mathilde, is introduced by Maupassant in the story, as a pretty and charming woman who always dreamed of a life full of luxury and elegance. Although, she merry a middle class man who is a clerk in the ministry of education, her dream, instead was on marring a rich and distinguish man who can provide her with a rank in society. Her emotions are harm by the frigid reality of walking up every morning to the disturbing truth that her material wants can not be satisfied because of the lack of wealth.

Mathilde’s dynamic character changes as the story progress, however, her true characteristics are shown by the changes from an arrogant and thankless women, to a naughty and snooty, and finally to a more realistic and humble wife.

Mathilde’s way of thinking and acting shows her negative nature. How Maupassant starts the story, is by describing Mathilde’s arrogance, and thankless of the lifestyle she currently have. She was as unhappy as if she had really gone down in the world (5-6). Mathilde cries for not having all the elegance and wealth she always dreamed, and thinks that “she was born, as if by an error of destiny, into a family of clerks and copyists” (1-2).

When, Mr. Loisel, acquire the invitation for the party at “the chancellor of education” for Mathilde, his hopes were that she would be delight due to the importance of the event, but instead her reaction was spitefully by throwing the invitation to the table and saying “what do you expect me to do with this?”(14-15). This shows arrogance and thankless in her character which displays her real feelings for Mr. Loisel.

As mathilde prepares herself for the party and attends the party, she shows a more naughty and snooty character. When she was debating about her cloths and what to wear to the party, mathilde uses a naughty character to pursue Mr. loisel to give her four hundred francs for a new dress to attend the party, “I don’t know exactly, but it seems to me that I could get by on four hundred francs”(25).

Mathilde, not fully comfortable with the new dress, decides to ask Mrs. Forrestier, a friend of hers of wealth who considers her a beautiful and respectful women, for a necklace to wear to the party. Showing her snooty, picky personality, the one that for years she dreams on having, and that for the first time it was a reality. “She was prettier than anyone else, stylish, graceful, smiling, and wild with joy. (52-53) she felt the elegance, luxury, and naughty power of having men in line waiting to dance with her. Dancing joyfully, passionately, intoxicated with pleasure. (55) At that moment all her thoughts were not on the middle class life with Mr. loisel, but instead, on how beautiful and snooty she was for him. The party was over and Mathilde was back to the same middle class life she always lived, and when she arrived home the necklace was no longer on her neck.

After the party Mathilde’s personality changed to a more realistic and humble one. They work for ten years to pay back every person who lend them money to pay for the replacement necklace. Mathilde, soon discover the horrible life of the needy (98) now she appreciated all the support Mr. loisel show her. She realized that the only thing that she could do now was work hard and pay off the debt, therefore, Mathilde, learned to do the heavy housework, dirty kitchen jobs, washed dishes, wearing away her manicured fingernails on greasy pots and encrusted baking dishes. (97-98). She became a humble woman who worked hard, and learn to value the things that she had. After ten years the debt was pay off and Mathilde’s golden days were over. Mrs. Loisel looked old now. She had become the strong, hard, and rude woman of poor household (102-103). At this point her character was of a humble woman, who was realistic of her position and who also appreciated all the things that her husband had done to support what her ambition had led them.

Although Mathilde’s nature was of an arrogant and thankless woman, this trait changes as the story progress to accustom to the situation that she goes through. At first, she dreams of a life full of luxury and elegance, which made her arrogant and thankless of the lifestyle that she had at the moment. Her character changes at the party, when she fells the naughty and snooty of and elegant and luxury woman. However, at the end of the story her character changes to a humble and realistic woman, that after losing the necklace and having to work ten years under cruel circumstances to pay it back, appreciates what she haves. All of this shows that extensive ambition only leads to down fall and trouble.nho