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The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is one of the most famous short stories in French literature. First published in 1884 under the original French title La Parure, the story has remained popular for generations because of its powerful irony, memorable characters, and surprising ending.
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a major French writer of the nineteenth century and one of the most influential masters of the short story. His fiction often explores ordinary people’s ambitions, weaknesses, relationships, and struggles with society. He was particularly skilled at creating realistic characters and endings that force readers to reconsider everything they have just read.
The Necklace tells the story of Mathilde Loisel, a young woman who is dissatisfied with her modest life. Although she is attractive and intelligent, she dreams of wealth, elegant clothes, expensive jewelry, and social recognition. When her husband receives an invitation to an important official ball, Mathilde sees an opportunity to enter the glamorous world she has always imagined.
However, an apparently simple decision sets off a chain of events that changes her life completely. A borrowed necklace, a moment of panic, and the consequences that follow force Mathilde and her husband to make sacrifices they could never have imagined.
This version of The Necklace has been carefully rewritten for CEFR C1 English learners. The original plot, characters, major events, atmosphere, and famous ending have been preserved, while the language has been adapted to provide advanced learners with natural and useful English. The adaptation uses varied sentence structures, sophisticated vocabulary, descriptive language, natural dialogue, and authentic narrative techniques suitable for advanced readers.
Why Should You Read This Story?
The Necklace is worth reading not only because it is a classic, but also because it offers an excellent opportunity to develop advanced English skills through literature.
By reading this story, you can:
- expand your C1-level vocabulary through meaningful context;
- develop your ability to understand complex sentence structures;
- improve your reading fluency and comprehension;
- encounter natural examples of narrative tenses, conditionals, relative clauses, passive structures, and reported speech;
- learn how English is used to describe people, emotions, social situations, and psychological changes;
- improve your ability to understand irony, contrast, symbolism, and implied meaning;
- study how dialogue and description can be combined to create suspense;
- become more comfortable reading authentic literary-style English.
The story is also especially valuable for learners because its central themes remain relevant today. The Necklace explores appearance and reality, social status, materialism, ambition, pride, and the consequences of our choices.
As you read, pay attention not only to what happens to Mathilde, but also to how her thoughts, emotions, language, and circumstances change throughout the story. This will help you develop both your English and your ability to read literature at an advanced level.
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant has been carefully adapted and rewritten by LearnEnglish-new.com for advanced English learners. The original work is in the public domain. This learner-friendly adaptation uses clear, natural English while preserving the original characters, major events, psychological depth, themes, and famous ending. It is designed to help C1–C2 learners develop their reading comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and improve their understanding of literary English. Enjoy reading The Necklace and improve your English skills!
THE NECKLACE
By Guy de Maupassant
Contents
Chapter 1: A Dream of a Better Life
Chapter 2: The Night of Triumph
Chapter One
A Dream of a Better Life
Mathilde Loisel was one of those beautiful and charming young women who seemed, by some strange mistake of fate, to have been born into a modest family of clerks. She had no dowry, no inheritance, and no particular prospects. There was no reason to expect that a wealthy or distinguished man would notice her, so she eventually married a minor clerk who worked at the Ministry of Public Instruction.
She was naturally attractive, graceful, and intelligent, but she believed that she had been born for a life far more elegant than the one she was forced to endure.
Their home was small and plainly furnished. The walls were bare, the chairs were worn, and the curtains were cheap. None of these things would have troubled another woman in her position, but Mathilde noticed every imperfection. To her, each one was evidence that life had denied her what she deserved.
She dreamed constantly of luxury.
In her imagination, she lived in quiet rooms decorated with expensive tapestries. Tall bronze lamps illuminated elegant furniture, while servants waited silently nearby. She imagined long reception rooms filled with old silk, delicate ornaments, and priceless objects. She pictured herself sitting among fashionable people, listening to admired men speak while other women watched her with envy.
Even dinner could remind her of the life she believed she should have had.
Her husband might uncover the soup and say cheerfully, “Ah, what a good soup! There is nothing better than this.”
But Mathilde would barely notice his pleasure. As she sat at their modest table, she imagined magnificent dinners served on fine porcelain, silver shining beneath the light, and exquisite dishes being offered by attentive servants.
She wanted beautiful clothes, expensive jewels, elegant surroundings, admiration, and attention. More than anything, she wanted to be noticed.
She had once been a schoolmate of Madame Forestier, a wealthy woman whom she rarely visited. Mathilde avoided her because every visit reminded her painfully of everything she did not possess. Whenever she returned home, her own life seemed poorer than before.
Then, one evening, her husband arrived home with an unusual expression of triumph. He was holding a large envelope.
“There,” he said. “I have something for you.”
Mathilde quickly opened it. Inside was an invitation to an official ball at the palace of the Ministry of Public Instruction. The Minister and his wife were inviting Monsieur and Madame Loisel to attend.
Her husband had expected her to be delighted.
Instead, she placed the invitation on the table with irritation.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Why, my dear, I thought you would be pleased,” he replied. “You hardly ever go out. This is a wonderful opportunity. I had considerable difficulty getting the invitation. Everyone wants to attend, and they have invited very few clerks.”
Mathilde looked at him impatiently.
“And what do you expect me to wear?”
He had not considered that problem. After a moment, he suggested the dress she wore to the theatre.
But Mathilde began to cry.
“What is wrong?” he asked.
She struggled to control herself before answering.
“Nothing. It is simply that I have no suitable dress. I cannot go to the ball looking like that. You should give the invitation to one of your colleagues whose wife is better dressed than I am.”
Her husband was distressed.
“How much would a suitable dress cost?” he asked. “Something simple that you could wear again?”
Mathilde thought carefully. She calculated how much she could ask for without frightening her husband or provoking an immediate refusal.
“At a guess,” she said hesitantly, “I think I could manage with four hundred francs.”
Her husband went pale. He had been saving exactly that amount to buy a gun and spend some Sundays shooting with his friends the following summer.
Nevertheless, he gave up his plan.
“Very well,” he said. “I will give you four hundred francs. But make sure you choose a beautiful dress.”
The dress was ready when the evening of the ball approached, yet Mathilde remained anxious.
Her husband noticed her unhappiness.
“You have seemed troubled for several days. What is wrong?”
She looked at him sadly.
“I have no jewelry. Not even a single ornament. I will look poor beside all those wealthy women. I would almost rather stay at home.”
“Why not wear some natural flowers?” he suggested. “They are fashionable at this time of year.”
Mathilde shook her head.
“There is nothing more humiliating than looking poor among women who are rich.”
Her husband suddenly remembered Madame Forestier.
“Then go and see your friend. Ask her to lend you some jewelry. Surely you know her well enough.”
Mathilde’s face immediately brightened.
“Of course! I never thought of that.”
The following day she visited Madame Forestier and explained her problem.
Her friend went to a large wardrobe, brought out a jewelry box, and opened it.
“Choose whatever you like.”
Mathilde examined the collection carefully. She tried on bracelets, admired a pearl necklace, and looked at a magnificent golden cross decorated with precious stones.
But she could not decide.
“Do you have anything else?” she asked.
“Certainly. Look through the box. Perhaps you will find something you prefer.”
Then Mathilde noticed a black satin case.
Inside was a magnificent diamond necklace.
Her heart began to beat faster.
She lifted it with trembling hands, fastened it around her neck, and stared at herself in the mirror. For a moment, she was completely absorbed in the image before her.
“Would you lend me this one?” she asked. “Only this one?”
“Of course.”
Mathilde embraced her friend, kissed her warmly, and left with the necklace.
At last, she believed, she was going to enter the world she had always dreamed about.
Chapter Two
The Night of Triumph
The evening of the ball arrived, and Mathilde was transformed.
In her new dress and borrowed necklace, she looked elegant, graceful, and radiant. For the first time in her life, she felt that she belonged among the wealthy people she had admired from a distance.
The effect was immediate.
Men looked at her as she entered the room. They asked who she was and tried to be introduced to her. Officials from the Ministry wanted to dance with her. Even the Minister himself noticed her.
Mathilde was overwhelmed with happiness.
She danced with extraordinary excitement, almost intoxicated by the attention she received. The admiration of others seemed to confirm everything she had always believed about herself. For one unforgettable evening, she was no longer the dissatisfied wife of a minor clerk. She was beautiful, admired, and important.
She forgot the small apartment, the worn furniture, and the ordinary life waiting for her at home.
Everything she had ever wanted seemed to surround her.
Her husband, meanwhile, had spent much of the evening in a small, neglected room with several other husbands whose wives were enjoying the ball.
At around four in the morning, Mathilde finally left.
Her husband placed the modest wrap he had brought over her shoulders. Compared with the elegant dresses and expensive furs surrounding them, it looked painfully ordinary.
Mathilde immediately became conscious of the contrast.
She did not want the other women to see her leaving in such poor clothing.
Her husband tried to reassure her.
“Wait a moment. You will catch cold. I will find a cab.”
But Mathilde hurried down the stairs.
Outside, they searched desperately for a carriage. The streets were quiet, and the few cabmen they could see were already driving away.
They walked towards the Seine, shivering in the cold, until they finally found an old night cab.
The carriage took them back to their modest home in the Rue des Martyrs.
They climbed the stairs in silence.
For Mathilde, the evening was over.
But before going to bed, she wanted to look at herself one more time. She removed the wrap and stood before the mirror, hoping to preserve the memory of her beauty and triumph.
Then she suddenly cried out.
The necklace was gone.
“What is it?” her husband asked.
Mathilde turned towards him in panic.
“I—I have lost Madame Forestier’s necklace!”
He stared at her.
“What? How could that be?”
They searched everywhere. They examined the folds of her dress and coat and checked every pocket. Nothing.
“You are certain you were wearing it when you left the ball?”
“Yes. I felt it around my neck in the entrance hall.”
“If it had fallen in the street, we would have heard it.”
“Then it must be in the cab.”
“Did you notice the number?”
“No.”
They looked at each other in stunned silence.
Finally, Monsieur Loisel put his clothes back on.
“I am going to walk the entire route. Perhaps I will find it.”
He left the apartment.
Mathilde remained seated in her magnificent dress, too frightened even to go to bed.
Her husband returned at about seven in the morning.
He had found nothing.
He had searched the streets, contacted the police, spoken to newspaper offices, and visited cab companies. Everywhere he went, he had followed even the smallest possibility that might lead him to the missing necklace.
Still, there was no sign of it.
That evening he returned with a pale and exhausted face.
“You must write to Madame Forestier,” he said. “Tell her that you have broken the clasp and that you are having the necklace repaired. That will give us some time.”
Mathilde wrote the message as he dictated it.
But a week passed, and they had still found nothing.
Their hope disappeared.
“We have no choice,” Monsieur Loisel finally said. “We must replace it.”
Neither of them yet understood how completely that decision would change their lives.
Chapter Three
Ten Years of Debt
The Loisels took the empty jewelry case to the shop whose name was written inside it. The jeweler examined his records.
“I did not sell that necklace,” he explained. “I must have supplied only the case.”
They visited one jeweler after another.
They searched shops throughout Paris, trying to find a necklace that looked sufficiently similar to the one Mathilde had lost.
At last, in a shop at the Palais Royal, they found one.
It appeared almost identical.
The price was thirty-six thousand francs.
The jeweler had originally valued it at forty thousand, but he agreed to sell it for thirty-six thousand. He also agreed to buy it back for thirty-four thousand if they recovered the original before the end of February.
But the Loisels had nowhere near enough money.
Monsieur Loisel had eighteen thousand francs left by his father. The rest would have to be borrowed.
He borrowed from everyone he could.
He asked one person for a thousand francs, another for five hundred, and smaller amounts from others. He signed promises to repay. He accepted loans on terrible terms and placed his future in the hands of moneylenders.
Every debt seemed to create another.
The burden frightened him, but there was no alternative.
At last, he went to the jeweler and placed thirty-six thousand francs on the counter.
The replacement necklace was theirs.
Mathilde returned it to Madame Forestier.
Her friend received it without examining the case carefully.
“You should have brought it back sooner,” she remarked coldly. “I might have needed it.”
Mathilde felt an enormous sense of relief.
Madame Forestier had not discovered the truth.
But the price of that silence was going to be terrible.
From that moment, the Loisels’ life changed completely.
They dismissed their servant and moved into a much smaller apartment under the roof. Mathilde, who had once dreamed of servants and elegant rooms, now had to perform every unpleasant household task herself.
She learned what real poverty meant.
She washed dishes until her delicate hands became rough. She cleaned greasy pots and pans. She washed dirty clothes and linen and carried them downstairs to dry. Every morning, she carried water up the stairs, stopping at each landing to catch her breath.
She went to the butcher, the grocer, and the fruit seller with a basket on her arm. She bargained over every coin. She defended their small amount of money as though each coin were precious.
The woman who had once imagined herself admired in luxurious salons was now dressed plainly and arguing over the price of food.
Her husband suffered as well.
During the day, he continued working at the Ministry. In the evenings, he worked for a tradesman, preparing accounts. Late at night, he copied manuscripts, earning only a few sous for each page.
Their lives became a continuous struggle against debt.
Every month they had bills to pay. Some debts had to be renewed. Others required new arrangements. Interest continued to accumulate.
The years passed.
One year became several.
Five years became ten.
For ten long years, the Loisels lived under the weight of the debt created by the necklace.
They eventually paid everything.
Everything.
But the Mathilde who emerged from those ten years was no longer the woman who had entered the ministerial ball.
Her beauty had disappeared beneath years of hard work.
Her hair was often untidy. Her clothes were worn. Her hands had become red and rough. Her voice had grown louder and more confident in the rough language of people who had learned to fight for every small advantage.
She had become strong in a way she had never imagined.
Sometimes, when her husband was away at work, she would sit near the window and think about that distant evening.
She remembered how beautiful she had looked.
She remembered the admiration in the eyes of the men who had watched her dance.
She remembered the feeling of triumph that had filled her heart.
And sometimes she wondered what her life might have been like if she had never lost the necklace.
Who could know?
Perhaps everything would have been different.
Life, she understood now, could change because of something astonishingly small. A single moment, a single mistake, or a single object could alter the course of an entire existence.
Then, one Sunday, after the week’s exhausting work, Mathilde went for a walk along the Champs-Élysées.
There, quite unexpectedly, she saw a woman walking with a child.
Mathilde recognized her immediately.
It was Madame Forestier.
Her friend still looked young, beautiful, and charming.
Mathilde hesitated.
Should she speak to her?
Yes.
Now that the debt had finally been paid, she felt that she had nothing left to hide.
She approached her.
“Good morning, Jeanne.”
Madame Forestier looked at her in confusion.
“I’m sorry, madame, but I don’t think I know you.”
“You do. I am Mathilde Loisel.”
Madame Forestier stared at her.
Then she cried out.
“My poor Mathilde! What has happened to you? You look so different!”
“Yes,” Mathilde replied. “I have had a very hard life since we last met. And all because of you.”
“Because of me? What do you mean?”
Mathilde looked directly at her.
“Do you remember the diamond necklace you lent me for the ministerial ball?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“I lost it.”
Madame Forestier looked astonished.
“But you returned it to me.”
“I returned another one that looked exactly like it.”
For the first time, Mathilde smiled with genuine pride.
“It took us ten years to pay for it. You can imagine how difficult that was for people like us, who had almost nothing. But it is finally over, and I am glad.”
Madame Forestier stood completely still.
“You bought another diamond necklace to replace mine?”
“Yes. And you never noticed the difference. They were almost identical.”
Mathilde smiled again, proud of what she had endured and relieved that the long years of suffering were finally behind her.
Then Madame Forestier took both her hands.
Her expression changed.
Chapter Four
The Truth
“Oh, my poor Mathilde,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
Madame Forestier looked at her with deep emotion.
“My necklace was imitation.”
Mathilde did not immediately understand.
“What?”
“It was not made of real diamonds.”
Madame Forestier paused before giving her the final truth.
“That necklace was worth, at most, five hundred francs.”
For a moment, Mathilde could say nothing.
Ten years.
Ten years of poverty, exhausting work, humiliation, and sacrifice.
Ten years spent repaying thirty-six thousand francs for a necklace that had never been worth more than a small fraction of that amount.
The necklace that had once seemed to represent wealth had destroyed the life she had wanted to escape from.
And the truth had been there all along.
THE END
Read the original story: americanliterature.com
Vocabulary
1. Prospects — the possibility of future success, improvement, or a better situation.
Example: Mathilde had no particular prospects of marrying a wealthy or distinguished man.
2. Endure — to experience something difficult or unpleasant without giving up.
Example: Mathilde believed that she had been forced to endure a life far below her expectations.
3. Modest — not large, expensive, or impressive.
Example: The Loisels lived in a modest apartment with simple furniture.
4. Distressed — extremely worried, upset, or unhappy about something.
Example: Her husband was distressed when he saw Mathilde crying over the invitation.
5. Suitable — appropriate or acceptable for a particular purpose or situation.
Example: Mathilde needed a suitable dress for the important ministerial ball.
6. Ornament — an attractive object worn or used for decoration.
Example: Mathilde complained that she did not have a single piece of jewelry or ornament to wear.
7. Magnificent — extremely beautiful, impressive, or grand.
Example: Mathilde discovered a magnificent diamond necklace in her friend’s jewelry box.
8. Radiant — showing great happiness, beauty, or confidence.
Example: Mathilde looked radiant when she entered the ball wearing the borrowed necklace.
9. Admiration — a feeling of respect, approval, or pleasure caused by someone or something impressive.
Example: Mathilde enjoyed the admiration of the men who wanted to dance with her.
10. Intoxicated — extremely excited or overwhelmed by a powerful feeling.
Example: She felt almost intoxicated by the attention and admiration she received at the ball.
11. Desperately — in a way that shows extreme need, urgency, or lack of hope.
Example: The Loisels searched desperately for the missing necklace.
12. Bewildered — extremely confused and unable to understand what is happening.
Example: Monsieur Loisel stood bewildered when Mathilde told him that the necklace had disappeared.
13. Burden — a serious responsibility, problem, or difficulty that causes worry.
Example: The enormous debt became a heavy burden for the Loisels.
14. Usury — the practice of lending money at an excessively high rate of interest.
Example: The couple eventually repaid the debt, including the usury charged by the lenders.
15. Sacrifice — something valuable that you give up for an important purpose.
Example: Replacing the necklace required an enormous sacrifice from both Mathilde and her husband.
16. Deprived — not having something that you want, need, or believe you deserve.
Example: Mathilde constantly felt deprived of the luxurious life she dreamed about.
17. Humiliation — a painful feeling of shame or embarrassment caused by a situation that makes you feel inferior.
Example: Mathilde feared the humiliation of looking poor among wealthy women at the ball.
18. Imitation — something made to look like another object but which is not genuine or original.
Example: Madame Forestier revealed that the necklace was only an imitation.
19. Consequences — the results of an action or decision, especially when they are serious or unpleasant.
Example: Mathilde never imagined the terrible consequences of losing the necklace.
20. Revelation — a surprising fact or piece of information that becomes known.
Example: The final revelation about the necklace makes the ending of the story unforgettable.
Comprehension Questions
1. Why was Mathilde dissatisfied with her modest life, despite being attractive and intelligent?
2. How did Mathilde’s dreams of wealth and social status influence the way she viewed her everyday surroundings?
3. Why did the invitation to the ministerial ball initially make Mathilde unhappy rather than pleased?
4. What sacrifice did Monsieur Loisel make so that Mathilde could buy a suitable dress for the ball?
5. Why did Mathilde believe that having no jewelry would make her appear poor at the ball?
6. How did Madame Forestier help Mathilde prepare for the evening, and why was Mathilde especially attracted to the diamond necklace?
7. What effect did the ball have on Mathilde’s confidence and sense of social status?
8. Why did Mathilde feel uncomfortable when her husband placed the modest wrap around her shoulders after the ball?
9. What did Mathilde and her husband do after discovering that the necklace was missing?
10. Why did Monsieur Loisel decide that they should replace the necklace rather than continue searching for it?
11. What financial sacrifices did Monsieur Loisel make in order to obtain the replacement necklace?
12. How did losing the necklace transform Mathilde’s daily life and responsibilities?
13. In what ways did Mathilde’s physical appearance and personality change during the ten years of hardship?
14. How did Monsieur Loisel contribute to paying off the enormous debt?
15. Why did Mathilde sometimes think about the night of the ball even after ten years had passed?
16. What does Mathilde’s question about what might have happened if she had not lost the necklace reveal about her character?
17. Why did Mathilde decide to speak to Madame Forestier when she met her again after ten years?
18. How did Madame Forestier react when Mathilde revealed that she had replaced the necklace and spent ten years paying for it?
19. What does the final revelation about the necklace change about our understanding of Mathilde’s ten years of suffering?
20. How does the ending of The Necklace reinforce the story’s central contrast between appearance and reality?
Grammar Exercises
1. Mathilde believed that she ________ born for a life of luxury rather than a modest existence.
A) had been
B) has been
C) would be
D) was being
2. If Mathilde ________ more satisfied with her ordinary life, she might never have borrowed the necklace.
A) had been
B) would be
C) has been
D) would have been
3. The invitation, ________ her husband had worked hard to obtain, gave Mathilde an opportunity to attend the ministerial ball.
A) which
B) what
C) where
D) whose
4. Monsieur Loisel gave Mathilde four hundred francs, ________ he had been saving the money to buy a gun.
A) despite
B) because
C) even though
D) so that
5. Having ________ the jewelry carefully, Mathilde finally chose the diamond necklace.
A) examined
B) examining
C) been examined
D) to examine
6. By the time the ball began, Mathilde ________ her new dress and borrowed necklace.
A) had prepared
B) has prepared
C) was preparing
D) would prepare
7. Mathilde was so delighted by the attention she received that she behaved as though she ________ a member of the aristocracy.
A) were
B) had been
C) has been
D) would be
8. The couple searched the streets, hoping that the necklace ________ somewhere along their route.
A) had been found
B) might have fallen
C) would have found
D) was falling
9. Had Monsieur Loisel known the truth about the necklace, he ________ borrowed such a large amount of money.
A) would never have
B) never would
C) will never have
D) would never
10. The Loisels had the replacement necklace made ________ they could return it to Madame Forestier without revealing the loss.
A) so that
B) despite
C) unless
D) whereas
11. By the end of the first week, all hope of finding the original necklace ________.
A) had disappeared
B) has disappeared
C) would disappear
D) was disappeared
12. The debt was so enormous that the Loisels ________ to change their entire way of life.
A) were forced
B) had forced
C) have been forcing
D) would force
13. While her husband ________ accounts in the evenings, Mathilde performed the difficult household tasks.
A) prepared
B) was preparing
C) had prepared
D) has been preparing
14. By the time the debt had been completely repaid, Mathilde ________ considerably older and harder.
A) had become
B) has become
C) would become
D) was becoming
15. If Mathilde had told Madame Forestier about the loss immediately, the Loisels ________ their ten years of suffering.
A) might have avoided
B) might avoid
C) will have avoided
D) had avoided
16. Having ________ the debt at last, Mathilde felt ready to tell Madame Forestier the truth.
A) paid
B) paying
C) been paid
D) to pay
17. Madame Forestier did not recognize Mathilde, ________ she had once known her well.
A) even though
B) in spite
C) because of
D) unless
18. Mathilde explained that the necklace ________ ten years to replace because she and her husband had been forced to borrow money.
A) had taken
B) has taken
C) was taking
D) would take
19. It was only after Mathilde had described everything that Madame Forestier ________ the necklace had been imitation jewelry.
A) revealed
B) had revealed
C) reveals
D) would reveal
20. The necklace, which Mathilde had believed ________ a fortune, was actually worth only about five hundred francs.
A) to be worth
B) being worth
C) was worthing
D) to have worth
Answer Key:
1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-C, 5-A, 6-A, 7-A, 8-B, 9-A, 10-A, 11-A, 12-A, 13-B, 14-A, 15-A, 16-A, 17-A, 18-A, 19-A, 20-A
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