Carmona
Margarita Carmona
Professor Giles
English 1302-005
03 July 2019
The Diamond Necklace: Pride Ruins Lives
Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Diamond Necklace” conveys the themes of pride and deception as he prepares to unveil an ironic ending to the story. Maupassant begins by describing the characteristics of the main character, Mathilde Loisel, a woman who was ungrateful because of her social life status. "She was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks." Mathilde had a loving clerk as her husband; however, she disproves of her position in life. When she and her husband are invited to a very select ball, Mathilde shows her selfishness since she is unable to purchase the jewels and clothing that she desires. "She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries." Her loving husband sacrifices 400 francs in order to pay for the gown that she wants to wear to the ball. Ungrateful Mathilde then wishes to buy jewelry so she asks her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier, to lend her the diamond necklace that she enclosed in a “black satin box.” As she danced the night away, Mathilde found that the necklace that was probably worth 40,000 francs had disappeared from her throat. Because they never found it, Mathilde did not speak to her friend until she and her husband had worked 10 years in order to buy a similar necklace...