The author, Maupassant, in his story “The Necklace” conveys a simple moral; one mistake can have years long detriments. Mathilde’s night of pleasure at the party and for carelessly losing the borrowed necklace led to ten years of misery which latter found to be unnecessary and could have been avoided if only Mathilde had been honest with Madame Forestier from whom she borrowed this imitation.
It gives a special lesson to people who try to impress by display of wealth which is not theirs. Always be humble enough to accept the financial status of your life telling the truth always will be the best way out of any situation.
Maupassant uses simple language with few historic terms. He uses terms like “nimbleness of wit”, “two tall footmen in knee-breeches” seems to be quite outdated. Moreover, I believe he has also used a put some humor by showing the humorous contrast between her fantastic ambitions and the reality of her life as the wife of a junior clerk. “floating on a cloud of happiness composed of the homage...” Line 110. Using simple vocabulary with repetitive synonyms for example “no dowry, no expectations, no means...” Line 2 and “She would weep whole days, with grief, regret, despair, and misery” Line 30. The author is trying to make something appear obvious, blunt, and unequivocal. He used common adjectives to describe majority of the aspects in his story whether it was to describe her home, dream, happiness, fear or even her friend etc. making it understandable and open to all types of reader. A slight heightened language to indicate her social aspirations. Contrasted with the world of her imagination, which was conveyed through the use of descriptive language “old silk, filled with fine furniture..trinkets beyond price.” Line 21
In addition, elaborate language is used which appeals to the reader’s imagination or fantasy -through the use of poetic, exciting, exotic and complex words. The effect of the contrast between her image of the perfect meal “the pink flesh of a trout” and the reality of the actual “Stew!” Line 27
Use of exclamation and rhetorical questions at key moments. Emphasis a statement – “Life is so strange, so fickle!” How little is needed to make or break us! Line 217 – to encourage the audience to think about the situation rather than respond. “What would she have said? Would she not have concluded she was a thief?” Line189
Superlatives used to convey the excitement of the ball – victorious beauty, prettiest woman, triumph etc,
Maupassant uses a tone of an observant and sympathetic. He writes like a sophisticated man who knows the world, and particularly the world of "society" (high society). He's an excellent social observer who's willing to share his insights with his readers, casually throwing off large summary statements like: “she was unhappy as though kept out of her own class; for women have no caste and no descent, their beauty, their grace, and their charm serving them instead of birth and fortune. Their native keenness, their instinctive elegance, their flexibility of mind, are their only hierarchy; and these make the daughters of the people the equals of the most lofty dames.”
Further, you also get the sense that Maupassant is detached from what he describes. Though he understands the society scene, he's not caught up in it, which is why he can describe it so easily. And he seems to know the world of the poor just as well as that of the middle and upper classes.
The author’s description of his characters is of an intimate understanding. He sees into the emotions of Mathilde, his main character, clearly and can make his readers see the same. Maupassant was able to show us all types of emotions Mathilde experienced throughout his story. Whether her feelings of belonging to a high society, her insensitivity towards her husband or the pleasure time she had during the party. “She danced madly, ecstatically, drunk with pleasure, with