'The Necklace' is a world-famous short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, featured in the Class 10 'Footprints without Feet' textbook. It is a powerful cautionary tale about vanity, greed, and the destructive nature of telling a lie.
Author: Guy de Maupassant.
Theme: Vanity, pride, and the disastrous consequences of not telling the truth.
The Twist: The necklace that ruined 10 years of their life was a cheap fake.
Matilda was a beautiful young woman who always felt she was born for luxury, but due to bad luck, she was married to a poor clerk, Mr. Loisel. She was always miserable and jealous of rich people. One day, her husband brought an invitation to a grand Ministry ball. Instead of being happy, she threw a tantrum because she had no expensive clothes or jewelry. Her loving husband gave her 400 francs (his savings for a gun) to buy a dress, and she borrowed a stunning diamond necklace from her rich friend, Madame Forestier.
At the ball, Matilda was a huge success. She looked beautiful and danced all night. However, when she returned home, she was horrified to discover that she had lost the borrowed diamond necklace. Instead of telling her friend the truth, the couple decided to buy an identical replacement necklace to return to her. The new necklace cost a massive 36,000 francs. Mr. Loisel used all his inheritance and borrowed the rest from money lenders at terrible interest rates.
To pay off the massive debt, the couple's life changed drastically. They fired their maid, moved into a cheap attic, and Matilda did all the heavy, grueling household chores herself while her husband worked multiple night jobs. After ten long years of terrible poverty, they finally paid off the debt, but the hard labor had turned Matilda into a rough, old-looking woman.
One day, she met Madame Forestier and finally told her the truth about the lost necklace and the debt. Shocked, Madame Forestier revealed the ultimate tragic twist: Her original necklace was fake (costume jewelry) and was worth no more than 500 francs!
The moral of 'The Necklace' is that we should be content with what we have instead of craving false luxury. More importantly, it teaches that honesty is always the best policy; if Matilda had simply told the truth, her life would not have been ruined.
'Time and Tide Wait for No Man' – Meaning and Essay
Learn the complete meaning of the famous proverb 'Time and Tide Wait for No Man'. Read a short essay on this topic for school students.
Make a Sentence with 'To Be Known For'
Learn the meaning of the English phrase 'To be known for' and see 5 clear, meaningful sentence examples to use in essays and spoken English.
Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach: Meaning and Difference
Understand the difference between top-down and bottom-up approaches in management, software design, and problem solving with clear examples.
Root Out — Meaning, Usage and Meaningful Sentences
Root out means to completely eliminate or find and expose something. Meaningful sentences using 'root out' with definition, synonyms, and usage examples.
Total English Class 11 ISC (Grammar Solutions Guide)
Learn how to approach 'Total English Class 11' for the ISC board. Get tips for solving transformation of sentences, prepositions, and directed writing exercises.
Turn this guide into revision flashcards, a practice exam, or an AI-generated podcast — free, no signup required.