Mathilde In his classic short story, “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant, through the uses of diction and imagery, as well as a specific use of personification, characterizes Mathilde Loisel as unfortunately misplaced, so that the reader can empathize with Mathilde as she obsesses over acquiring an acceptable outfit to wear on a fancy occasion. “The Necklace” is complete with specific word choices that indirectly characterize Mathilde as well as the apartment as being desolate, yet Mathilde is also directly characterized as being “one of those pretty and charming girls” (Maupassant 224). This implies that she should not be in this particular position in society. The diction used in the first three paragraphs of the story, phrases such as “shabbiness