The theme of “The Necklace” is to be happy with what you have, because in pursuing frivolous, unneeded items, one can lose sight of all that they do have. Mathilde deeply cares about how she portrays herself to the public, she may not be wealthy, but she wants to look wealthy. When Mathilde states, “Nothing. Only I have no dress, and therefore I can’t go to this ball…” (239). Mathilde doesn’t want to go to the ball because she wants to look her best, but doesn’t have the expensive dresses of the elite. Mathilde isn’t happy with what she has. Although she has clothing, food on the table, and a home, and all the basic necessities of life covered, she still wants accessories and non-essential items that she doesn’t have the money to afford. Mathilde wants to fit-in with the people she socializes with, which means wearing inordinately expensive jewelry that she is unable to afford. As Mathilde and her husband are conversing, Mathilde states, “It annoys me not to have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on…” (240). Mathilde is obsessed with being glamorous. She wants to look her best and have accessories she can’t afford. Mathilde may want to have fun but she feels that she must look pretty doing it. When she got invited to the ball, she knew it would be both a fun time and good experience for her, but she needed to have a fancy dress and jewels that she was unable to purchase with the money she had. Later on in the story, once Mathilde borrows the necklace …show more content…
One will not always have the prettiest dress, or the peppiest makeup, but that shouldn’t stop someone from living the most enjoyable life one can live. To conclude, the lesson in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is to be happy with what you have in life, because if you can’t be content with what you have, you won’t be able to live life to the