Mathilde Character Analysis in The Necklace Essay Example

Has greed ever driven you to deceive people? In the story, “The Necklace” Mathilde portrays a character who is greedy and dishonest. She longs for a luxurious life to be perceived as someone of wealth. Her actions bring consequences that led her to get into debt, which Makes her face the harsh reality of being poor. The story indicates that Guy De Maupassant creates a complex character such as Mathilde to illustrate the consequences of greed, dishonesty, and deception.

Mathilde's society influences her to deceive others. For example, the story states, “Natural delicacy, instinctive elegance, and a quick wit determine their place in society”(de Maupassant 1). This quote indicates the reason why Mathilde wants to change society’s view of her. Furthermore, when Mathilde and her husband get invited to a party, she wants to display a certain appearance to feel admired by others. Mathilde states, ‘“No; there is nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women"(3). Here Mathilde indicates that she feels embarrassed to be someone of lower social standing. Thus, society’s impact on Mathilde makes her want to deceive people into believing she is a wealthy person.

Furthermore, Greed became Mathilde’s downfall.   As expressed, greediness and dishonesty are what led Mathilda to her ruins.Moreover, Mathilde has a negative impact on other characters in the story. Her husband, Monsieur, treats her with a lot of love and tries to please her needs. In the story, Mathilde states, ‘“Nothing. Only I have no dress and so I can't go to this party. Give your invitation to a friend whose wife has better clothes than I do”(3). Here Mathilde portrays someone who is manipulative. In addition, her friend, Madame Forestier is someone of wealth, As exemplified in the text, Mathilde is envious of Madams Forestier’s luxurious life. For instance, the story states, “whom she no longer wanted to visit because she suffered so much when she came home. For whole days afterward she would weep with sorrow, regret, despair, and misery”(2). Indicating that Mathilde was envious of Madame Forestier for her wealth. Thus, Mathilde’s greediness is destructive towards other characters.

Through Mathilde’s experience, she becomes self-reliant and honest. When Mathilde and her husband went into debt, she put in work to help him. “The Necklace” states, “But she played her part heroically. The dreadful debt must be paid”(8). This quote indicates that Mathilde is becoming responsible for her actions. Therefore Mathilde sacrifices many things to pay off the debt, making her self-reliant. For example, “Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become strong, hard, and rough like all women of impoverished households”(9).  Indicating that Mathilde sacrificed something that she so much desired to have. Despite her dishonesty, Mathilde becomes honest and self-reliant throughout her experience of being poor.

In conclusion, greed, dishonesty, and deception have consequences, which Mathilde illustrates throughout the story.