

Though the lower classes of the society advanced greatly in their financial position due to the occupational opportunities of the time, the distance between the upper class and working classes remained intact. The ironic element of this story comes in where it is revealed to the lady that the necklace she borrowed was not real. The author introduces a twist in the plot wherein the protagonist loses the necklace and ends up spending a decade doing hard labor to earn money to replace it. The story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant tells about the life of a woman in 19th century France who pretends to be “richer than she is by borrowing a necklace from a rich acquaintance” (Robinson 1). Loisel also attempts to escape from her real life, but her actions ultimately lead to disaster. Similar to Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, ''The Necklace'' also tells us about a young, beautiful woman who is caught in a social situation that she finds distasteful. Maupassant’s “The Necklace” is one of his acclaimed works that feature late 19th century France. His short stories are known for their comical elements, pessimism, objectivity, and a well definitive style. Maupassant was of the view that a modern novel aims not at "telling a story or entertaining us or touching our hearts but at forcing us to think and understand the deeper, hidden meaning of events" (Guy De Maupassant (1850-1893) – in Full Henry-Rene-Albert-Guy De Maupassant para. He authored about 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse during the 1880s. His short stories were often about simple episodes in life that he witnessed or heard about. Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer who is also one of the exponents of modern short stories.
