Quotes From The Necklace Short Story
The Necklace is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant. The story revolves around the life of a woman named Mathilde Loisel, who is not content with her life and always dreams of having a luxurious lifestyle. The Necklace has several memorable quotes that reflect the themes of the story.
“She was one of those pretty and charming girls, born, as if by an error of fate, into a family of clerks and copyists.”
This quote describes the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, who believes that she is meant for a better life than the one she is living. She is beautiful and charming, but her circumstances prevent her from fulfilling her dreams. This quote sets the tone for the story and highlights the theme of social class.
“How little it takes to make us happy! The sound of a word that is said to us can bring sudden joy.”
This quote is a reflection on the human condition and how we find happiness in the simplest of things. Mathilde Loisel is content with her life for a brief moment when she gets the invitation to the ball. This quote highlights the theme of the pursuit of happiness.
“She danced with rapture, with passion, intoxicated by pleasure, forgetting everything in the triumph of her beauty, in the glory of her success, in a sort of cloud of happiness comprised of all this homage, admiration, these awakened desires and of that sense of triumph which is so sweet to a woman's heart.”
This quote describes the moment when Mathilde Loisel is living the life she always dreamed of. She is beautiful, admired, and successful. This quote highlights the theme of appearance versus reality and how the pursuit of social status can lead to a false sense of happiness.
“How strange and changeful is life! How small a thing is needed to make or ruin us!”
This quote is a reflection on the unpredictability of life and how a single event can change our lives forever. Mathilde Loisel's life changes drastically when she loses the necklace, and she spends the rest of her life paying for the mistake. This quote highlights the theme of the consequences of our actions.
“For women have no caste or class, their beauty, grace, and charm serving them for birth or family, their natural delicacy, their instinctive elegance, their nimbleness of wit, are their only mark of rank, and put the slum girl on a level with the highest lady in the land.”
This quote is a reflection on the role of women in society and how their beauty and charm are their only assets. This quote highlights the theme of gender roles and how women are often judged based on their appearance rather than their abilities.
“It was worth forty thousand francs!”
This quote is the most memorable line from the story and highlights the irony of the situation. Mathilde Loisel spends the rest of her life paying for a necklace that was worth forty thousand francs, which was a fortune in those days. This quote highlights the theme of the consequences of our actions and how our desires can lead to our downfall.
In conclusion, The Necklace is a timeless story that highlights the themes of social class, appearance versus reality, the pursuit of happiness, the consequences of our actions, gender roles, and the unpredictability of life. The quotes from the story are memorable and thought-provoking, and they continue to resonate with readers today.
