In the story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, the author tells the story of a woman who longs for a better life for herself. The woman in this story dreams of being rich and accomplished and having lots of belongings and treasures for herself. She's a woman who wants more and gets to go to a ball where she loses her friend's borrowed necklace and has to work ten years to pay her back, causing unnecessary hardship on her and her husband. In this story, Maupassant uses symbolism, diction, and tone to show that some things we may wish for are not what they seem from the outside.

In "The Necklace," Guy de Maupassant uses symbolism to show that some things are not what they seem and may not be worth wishing for after all. The symbolism used in this story comes from the necklace itself because it represents the lifestyle Mme. Loisel desires. She dreams of a more opulent lifestyle at all times of day, even when she is sat down to dinner with her wonderful husband. The symbolism really comes into play when the ball and the actual necklace are introduced- she is finally getting her hands on pieces of the lifestyle she longs for. The necklace represents this lavish lifestyle because on the day of the ball, Mme. Loisel feels "prettier than them all, elegant, smiling, and crazy with joy." (Maupassant 36). She becomes so exuberant simply from wearing the necklace that it truly makes her feel as though she belongs at the ball. However, it is soon shown that such a lifestyle comes at a high price, quite literally, when she loses the necklace and must replace it. She and her husband scrape together thirty-six thousand francs to pay for the replacement necklace, which is twice the amount of money they had saved over their lifetime. The necklace represents the lifestyle she wishes for, and briefly obtains, but it slips away after a brief moment in time. The necklace also represents the divide between the rich and the poor, because Mathilde was unable to tell that Mme. Forestier's necklace was paste and therefore wasted a great deal of time and money and her life in general to replace it. The usage of the necklace as a symbol shows that sometimes what you wish for is not necessarily what you get.

The use of diction and Maupassant's writing style help to push the story along and prove the point because the style he uses is simple and unadorned. The language is so plain and simple that it keeps the story moving quickly; this pushes it along and holds the reader's interest. The reader gets to know Mathilde almost like a close friend within the first few paragraphs of the story. The pace and style of the story help to make it move rapidly and this shows the progression of time without dragging. For example, when Mathilde loses the necklace and her husband goes to search for it, Maupassant writes it as follows:

Her husband came back about seven o'clock. He had found nothing.

He went to Police Headquarters, to the newspaper offices, to offer a reward; he went to the cab companies -- everywhere, in fact, whither he was urged by the least suspicion of hope.

She waited all day, in the same condition of and fear before this terrible calamity.

Loisel returned at night with a hollow, pale face; he had discovered nothing. (Maupassant 37)

This passage is talking about an entire day, yet is takes only four lines to get through it. There are two characters included, and it references several settings. The style is simple and unadorned, and lacks adverbs or adjectives. The short sentences and paragraphs keep the story moving along at a fast pace and make it seem as though the readers are watching their life from the outside, just as Mathilde watches the life of the rich from the outside. Another way the diction proves the point is that the story almost feels like it is being told to us by a middle man or messenger who is relating it to the reader in short, repetitive sentences. When Mathilde and her husband are introduced to the lifestyle of the impoverished, Maupassant describes their new lifestyle by repeating himself constantly: "She came to know what heavy housework meant ...  She washed the dishes ...  She carried the slops down to the street ...  She went to the fruiterer ... " (Maupassant 38) The repetition gives a sense of a retelling of a story as though the reader is not quite connected to the writing; it gives a sense of detachment. The diction of the story makes the reader feel almost included, but not quite, which is most certainly how Mathilde feels in this story when she is very close to the lifestyle of the rich people.

The last technique that Maupassant uses to prove this point is the tone of his writing. A main point of this story is that Mathilde feels disconnected from the rich community and feels like an outsider to them, yet she is an excellent observer. The tone of this piece is disconnected and distant, and yet one may get a sense that Maupassant knows what he is talking about when he references the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy. He is an excellent observer and is able to share his insights with readers; he says that "with women there is neither caste nor rank; and beauty, grace, and charm act instead of family and birth." (Maupassant 33) This shows that he is observant and understanding, yet still disconnected from this issue; he is able to casually observe and share his thoughts easily. This is similar to Mathilde because her view of the rich lifestyle is detached and yet seems so familiar to her and she seems to have some sort of understanding of it. The tone really connects her to the story because her experience and outlook on life are so similar to the tone of the story. It is detached, but still has an intimate understanding. It is almost as if Mathilde were to write the story, the tone would not change from her perspective. This sets up the story to drive home the idea that if you are detached and an outsider from something so lavish as the lifestyle of the wealthy, perhaps you should just leave it alone and consider setting your sights on something more realistic or attainable.

All in all, this story seems to be a warning of sorts to not wish for something you cannot realistically have. Maupassant uses symbolism through the necklace to represent the unattainability of the lavish lifestyle Mathilde so desperately wishes for. The use of tone and diction also represent the detached feeling Mathilde has from this lifestyle, and yet at the same time we sense that the narrator has some sort of insight into this world. All three of these techniques together make the point that what one may wish for so eagerly is often not what one imagines it to be.

