The Necklace

Alyssa Pedi
English 1101
Professor Young
October 3, 2017

Mathilde Loisel was, "one of those pretty and charming girls." The keyword in that phrase is, "was." This keyword comes into play when we discover what her plan of action about the missing necklace is. Was it the right thing for her to conceal the truth about the necklace and cover it up to her friend? I believe that it was not. The story of The Necklace, can be related to a cinderella gone bad story. The poor princess Cinderella, or in this case Mathilde, is overtaken by envy to be beautiful and to live a better life. Her chance of a life time finally arrives when an invitation to a ball is planted at her feet and she just has to go. Unlike Cinderella, Mathilde lost an item priced with much more value, or so she thought; a diamond incrusted necklace. Like a fresh coat of makeup, Madame Loisel decides to hide her imperfection or mistake and decides to replace the necklace. And while her hard work and dedication to paying back the new necklace in full was inspiring to read, she could have saved herself all that trouble by simply telling the truth. If her friend was as good as she was made out to be she would have definitely forgave Madame Loisel. In the following video is a trailer for the short film, The Necklace.

A lesson to be learned from this story is to always tell the truth, no matter what the consequences may be. Growing up in a family of 5, this was always a rule my parents would drill into my brain. It is easier to accept the consequences in the light, than to hide from the truth behind the shadows of a lie. "The truth will set you free," John 8:32. The simplicity of this scenario is that all Mathilde had to do was tell the truth and she would have, "set herself free." Free of the old, worn out woman she had turned herself into after 10 years of slaving away to repay the new necklace. It was very clear that the burden of this lie had destroyed her in physical ways. Although, it seemed to build her up mentally.

Another lesson that can be taken away from The Necklace, is to work hard. "Nothing worth having comes easy." This quote by Theodore Roosevelt relates to Madame Loisel's predicament throughout the story. While Mathilde Loisel did not do the right thing, it is refreshing to be able to witness the soul and hard work she was able to dedicate to the sake of the new necklace. This mistake did seem to build her up mentally though. The reader witnessed as she rolled up her sleeves and got right to it. She seemed to care less about her image and more about working for what she wanted. And although this could have been avoided I feel that this should be somewhat inspiring to women everywhere that while it may seem difficult and tough, it surely is possible.