Mme Loisel also makes a sacrifice by selling her house and moving to smaller accommodation and finding menial work to do in order to repay the debt incurred by borrowing the money for the new necklace. Helping Mme Loisel in order that she is not accused of being a thief by Mme Forestier.

He also borrows the thirty six thousand francs need to replace the necklace which suggests not only that Monsieur Loisel is making another sacrifice but he is also again acting selflessly.

He acts selflessly in order to allow Mme Loisel feel comfortable before going to the ball. Rather than buying himself the gun that he had saved for Monsieur Loisel gives the money (four hundred francs) to Mme Loisel to buy a dress for the ball. Mme Loisel appears to believe that the more things that she owns the happier she will be.ĭe Maupassant also appears to be exploring the theme of sacrifice. Considering this to be the marker for happiness. Throughout the story she is driven by her desire to own things. At no stage in the story apart from when Mme Loisel is paying off the debt does the reader suspect that she is content in any way. If anything there is a sense that Mme Loisel is insecure in the life that she lives and can only see herself happy should she have material possessions. It is as though Mme Loisel believes that should she have what others (wealthy people) have she will be happy. She longs for a different type of life one that is driven by materialism. To have a loving husband and a household that is not in debt. At no stage does she consider herself to be fortunate in any way. Mme Loisel believes or at least fantasizes about the fact that her life would be better if her circumstances were improved by the wealthy finery that she imagines others to have. Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that de Maupassant may be exploring the theme of materialism. In The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant we have the theme of materialism, insecurity, discontent, happiness, sacrifice, selflessness, desperation and humility.

The necklace by guy de maupassant