Historically, the perception of beautiful women has evolved drastically. Whether the socially accepted presence has been all natural hair and no traces of makeup or completely painted up faces and hair adorned with numerous accessories and pin tight curls, the appearance that is consistently looked up to constant is the look of appearing wealthy and classy. In the story "The Necklace", Guy de Maupassant contradicts the ideas of the wealthy being beautiful. Men and women's social standing do not always end up being as they appear to be which readers can see when Maupassant says "natural fineness, instinct for what is elegant, and suppleness of wit" is the key to the facade (Maupassant 33). Readers can assume Maupassant wrote this short story to make low class society members aware of the fake social standing by the tricks of the so called upper class; perhaps this was Maupassant's call to forget about a class system in society altogether. 

The first character readers are introduced to is Madame Loisel who is described as "one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks" (33). Even though she "dressed plainly" (33) and could not afford dresses or jewelry as nice as the other wives invited to this grand event, her cheap gown and borrowed necklace still contributed to her being "prettier than them all" and "all the men looked at her" (36). This occurrence complements the idea of deception because Madame Loisel's natural beauty allows her to pretend to be a person entirely separate from her poor social status. Anyone born beautiful could deceive a room of people by adding a few accessories to live up to society's accepted appearance. Her facade was so believable that "she was remarked by the minister himself" (36).

The deceit that no one expects is that of Madame Forestier. When Madame Loisel meets with Madame Forestier she was taken back by the sight of her jewelry collection. Maupassant wrote, "She first saw of all some bracelets, then a pearl necklace, then a Venetian cross, gold and precious stones of admirable workmanship" (35). Because Madame Loisel's idea of a wealthy woman involves the decoration of elegance, by seeing such exquisite jewelry she automatically recognizes Madame Forestier as a high class woman. This idea in mind, it is very easy for her to believe the worth of the lost necklace was as expensive as she was told. However, when Madame Loisel sees Madame Forestier ten years after returning the necklace and facing a large debt, she is shocked to be told the necklace was a fake and not remotely close to the worth of the replacement. This, perhaps, is the greatest evidence in the story of things not being as they appear. 

Another way women can deceive people is their predisposition for recognizing things considered elegant by nobility, and applying it to themselves in the best way they can. Madame Loisel states "It annoys me to not have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on. I shall look like distress. I should rather not go at all" (35). Her husband suggests wearing natural grown flowers in place of fancy jewels because they can be bought for very few francs, but Madame Loisel promptly turns down his idea knowing the cheap accessories would be an indicator of her poor social standing. To a woman possessing the same instincts as Madame Loisel, "there is nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other woman who are rich" (35). By borrowing the diamond necklace from Madame Forestier, her seemingly wealthy acquaintance, Madame Loisel has the accessory she needed to complete her elegant, wealthy facade. Maupassant included irony in the exchange of the necklace when he described the satin box holding the diamond necklace. The satin box complimented the idea of Madame Forestier allowing her to deceive Madame Loisel, who in turn deceived those who attended the party by making them believe she owned the "expensive" jewels that are coincidentally, fake. Maupassant uses this occurrence to again show how even the wealthy are also trying too hard to fit into the stereotype of the high class society.

Being uneducated is a characteristic that is associated with being low class and allows people to distinguish low class peoples from high class peoples. Monsieur and Madame Loisel's skill for witty conversation enables the couple to talk their way into the high society functions of France and to distract people from their low class exterior. It is ironic when Monsieur Loisel states, "Ah, the good pot-au-feu! I do not know anything better than that" because it is a famous French dish enjoyed by both the wealthy and poor, so by praising it no one could distinguish their social standing of not being wealthy. Monsieur Loisel's wit is also evident when he thinks of telling Madame Forestier "that you have broken the clasp of her necklace and that you are having it mended. That will give us time to turn around", when Madame Loisel lost the borrowed necklace (37). By pretending to have the necklace fixed it adds to the idea they have money to spare on fixing such things. Monsieur Loisel's quick thinking shows he knows the wit required to deceive those of the wealthy class.

"Natural fineness, instinct for what is elegant, suppleness of wit, are the sole hierarchy, and make from women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies" or as Guy De Maupassant proved, are the qualities low class women can utilize to deceive those they encounter. Maupassant wrote "The Necklace" to stress the importance of the idea that not everything in the world will be exactly as their appearance seems. In a line of deceit, it is not always obvious who are the ones being truthful. Maupassant stressed this fact in order to show readers how the so called wealthy are not so true to their stereotypes, and possibly in attempt to break social barriers. 

