The perception of value on objects in everyday lifestyle is often misconstrued due to the greed, deception, and the inability to be satisfied that is embedded within human nature. Taking a close look at "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, the reader will discover how perception is different in terms of social status in society, and how important it is to some people to be recognized for how they look and are perceived by other people. The necklace plays a very important role in this story because it appears as a symbol of wealth and greed but in the end, this greed can cause consequences. Mathilde is very materialistic, and all her life she dreamed of being wealthy. When the opportunity comes to borrow a necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier, Mathilde does not turn her offer down but eventually Mathilde ends up losing the necklace and have to work for several years to pay back her depth. In order to see how greed can lead to unhappiness, this essay will examine and analyze Mathilde s perception of value on objects and the consequences that comes with that perception.   

In the story, Mathilde was blinded by the perception of her friend's status in society. She never thought about the possibility of the necklace being fake or worth nothing. The text illustrates this idea when it says, "all of a sudden she discovered, in a black satin box, a superb necklace of diamonds, and her heart began to beat with an immoderate desire. Her hands trembled as she took it. She fastened it around her throat, outside her high-necked dress, and remained lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself" (de Maupassant 24). The use of imagery creates a vivid imagery in the mind of the reader, further emphasizing the importance of the necklace within the story. Mathilde is impassioned with her own self-indulgence. Her fast heartbeat and her hands shaking implies that this is what Mathilde has been yearning for her whole life. She finally gets the feeling of having a high status in society expressing wealth. In the end, the reader discovers that the necklace is just as phony as her social status for one night. Her search for wealth ultimately leads her to a life in poverty. 

Sentence structure plays an important role in conveying the overall tone to the story. By using descriptive sentences, such as "superb necklace", "beat with an immoderate desire", "hands trembled", and "lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself", the story gives the impression that this is what Mathilde has been waiting for all her life (de Maupassant 24). The use of "immoderate desire" and "lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself" explains that Mathilde was somehow out of herself and she was stuck and lost out there because of desire to the necklace. Mathilde wants more than anything to be finally able to wear elements that are perceived as wealth to be recognized by individuals with a higher social status and that is how the use of "immoderate desire" and "lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself" help explain that Mathilde felt like that in the particular moment, when she saw herself wearing the necklace. Throughout the story, Mathilde has a hard time finding inner happiness because she focuses too much on other people's perception of her. In the text, Mathilde does not seem to care about her husband, which is the main reason she cannot find inner happiness. All she really cares about is what the outside world thinks about her. Her inability to find happiness leads her to never being able to be satisfied. The text illustrates her unsatisfaction as Mathilde states, "it annoys me not to have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on. I shall look like distress. I should almost rather not go at all" (de Maupassant 24). This statement is interesting in relation to Mathilde's perception. At first she says she does not have a single jewelry, which means she does not have any exclusive or shiny stone. Then she says, she actually does not have any type of stone at all, and at last she states that she actually has nothing to put on. Again, that is all that matters for Mathilde. She does not care that she has a house and a husband; as long as she does not have anything to put on she shall look like distress. Distress is a feeling that is connected to pain and sorrow, and it is interesting what this sentence does to the text. Mathilde's thinks that by not having any jewelry to put on, she will look like sorrow to other people. She expects other people to awake a feeling of distress when they look at her and see that she is not wearing any piece of jewelry. Rather than being satisfied and appreciative of her husband giving her money to buy a dress, she now focuses only on the fact that she misses jewelry. 

By showing examples of Mathilde's insatiability, the author is able to define the main character's trait, which is more always wants more. Having a materialistic mind means to never being satisfied with what you have and putting too much value on materials. A materialistic mind always wants more than they have and they can never get too much. The text exemplifies this trait when it is written, "he threw over her shoulders that wraps which he had brought, modest wraps of common life, whose poverty contrasted with the elegance of the ball dress. She felt this and wanted to escape so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were enveloping themselves in costly furs" (de Maupassant 24). Mathilde was forced to wear her common life wraps after the party. When seeing the other women enveloping in costly coats, she became ashamed and afraid of being judged by them. She would rather risk her health going outside in the cold night air than being seen by the other women wearing a contrast to her ball dress and necklace. By using the verb "enveloping", the text states the difference between Mathilde and the other women. When the other women envelope in their costly furs they cover and wrap up themselves in wealth. The way the act and behave is even expressed in a way that shows wealth. Mathilde cannot envelope herself in wealth, because what she was wearing was the either the only nice thing she has or it is borrowed. Ultimately, her greed is what leads her to her own character growth. After losing the necklace, she learns what hard work is and she stops placing such value on materialistic things. Her perception of what is valuable in life changes. In the very end of the story, the text demonstrates this revelation when Madame Forestier declares, "Oh my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs!" (de Maupassant 28). Madame Forestier tells Mathilde that all the work she has done for the last ten years paying of her debts has been a waste of time, because the necklace she borrowed from Madame Forestier had no value in relation to the necklace Mathilde brought back. This reveals one of the story's major themes; objects or other materialistic things have only the value that people perceive them to have. For some people, this perception is the most important thing and all they really care about. Different perceptions are often misconstrued because of greed or dissatisfaction, which ultimately lead to jealousy and unhappiness. Depending on social status, people will have different perceptions on materialism.   
By the end of the story, the text is able to show a different theme besides just the perception of value on objects. The other major theme of the story is the deceptiveness of appearances. Madame Forestier has a higher status in society than Mathilde and therefore is perceived to have higher quality possessions, however this is not necessarily the case. Because Madame Forestier is a wealthy woman it creates the illusion that all her possessions are equally as wealthy. Mathilde would have never thought to question the quality of the necklace because Madame Forestier owned it, and this costly mistake forced her and her husband to pay seventy-two times the original value. This difference, in relation to social status in society, makes the perception of value on objects different. To be appreciative for the things a person has is an important lesson for Mathilde. Always wanting more and never being satisfied in life has consequences. Greed and deceptiveness can lead to more dissatisfaction. The perception of value on objects is something that is created by the society in which people are raised. Do not care about what other people think but focus instead on the different elements in an individual's life that makes the individual happy. 
