What Is The Resolution Of The Necklace?

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is about a woman named Mathilde who borrows an expensive necklace from her friend Madame Forestier and loses it. Mathilde and her husband decide to buy Madame Forestier a new necklace similar to the original one, but that it costs them all their fortune. Mathilde works day and night, paycheck to paycheck, and after ten years the necklace is finally paid off.
The resolution of the short story comes with a large plot twist which creates a sense of irony. At the end of the text, we found out that the necklace was only worth “five hundred franks at most”. This serves to be ironic as Madame Loisel had to spend ten years of her life to pay for a necklace that was worthless and whilst working to pay off her debt, she loses her most desirable asset; her beauty. However, the most ironic fact is that her previous life, which she was so unhappy with, suddenly seems luxurious and elegant (two things she desperately wanted her life to be) in contrast to the life she is now living. Overall, the ending shows Madame Loisel's character to be unappreciative and shallow as she didn’t appreciate the lifestyle she had until it was gone.