“Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.” You spend your whole life searching for beauty, acceptance, wealth. You never stop and think, “would this make me happy?”, but it doesn’t matter as long as people think that you are. This is not the life you should want, and it’s not the life that Madame Loisel should’ve wanted either. She should’ve been happy with what she had, instead of dreaming about what she wanted.
Madame Loisel had been poor her whole life. Since she was young her family was just above the poverty line. Then, when she married, her financial status stayed the same. “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury.” (Maupassant, paragraph 2) She was someone who wanted more then she could have, and thought that she deserved more then she was offered. Madame hoped that one day she would marry rich and get everything she thought she deserved. Though now we know that was not the case.
Now even though her hope for riches were shattered, she still longed for the day where she could afford to go to fancy parties, wearing fancy dresses, with the most expensive and elegant jewelry. One evening, her husband comes home from work with a surprise. He had gotten an invitation to a very important party, that would be attended by very important people. However, Madame Loisel was saddened by this news. ‘And what do you suppose I am to wear at such an affair?’ (Maupassant, paragraph 13). She refused to show up in anything that she had already owned. Her husband had to spend hard-earned savings, on a dress that would be suitable for an event like this one. Yet the dress was not enough, she needed a necklace.
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One which everyone would want, and talk about. She borrowed a beautiful diamond necklace from a friend, with the promise to return it. This is what brought her to her downfall, the fact that nothing was good enough for her. To her, it didn’t matter what she was like on the inside as long as she looked nice one the outside. So after a long night of compliments and attention at the party, she got home to realize that the necklace was gone, it was nowhere to be found. Looking everywhere, there was no luck, no hope and her spirits were trampled.
Madame Loisel was a woman of her word and would return a necklace whether it was that one or not. So they bought a new necklace, which they could not afford. Now drowning in debt, they both worked harder than they had ever worked in their lives. “This fearful debt must be paid off. She would pay it.” (Maupassant, paragraph 90) For ten years they did nothing but work until finally, they were free of their debt. They were able to stop and breathe. Soon after, she had run into her friend that she had borrowed the necklace from and told her about everything. Her friend admitted the necklace was a fake. It was worth almost nothing, yet it made her feel special. So think, “Is this worth it?”.
Madame Loisel and her husband suffered for years because of her greediness. Don´t get caught up on material objects, when there are so many other better things out there. Madame Loisel didn´t heed this warning and look where it got her. So learn from Madame Loisel mistakes and appreciate what you have, before you lose it.
