Maupassant is recognized as a master story teller at ironic reversal and The

Necklace is a prime example of his art. The story documents the life of Matilda as
she sits through her marriage weeping and dissatisfied with the life around her.
However just a twist of fate lands her in a situation beyond her wildest imagination
but we see Matilda coping with the threat of debt in a courageous manner. And this
is where the ironical moral of the story comes to the surface, what one would think
ruined Matilda’s life for good and made her a “strong, hard woman, the crude
woman of the poor household” helped save her soul. The Matilda at the beginning
of the story was “the prettiest of all, elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy” and
yet she was unhappy in general. The reader becomes aware that towards the end
the source of Matilda’s “proud and simple joy” was her acceptance of her fate and
life with all its irregularities and peculiarities. The necklace is at the core of the story
as its disappearance turns Loisel’s and Matilda’s life upside down. Loisel ends up
paying a heavy price for capitulating to Matilda’s every whim and his wish to buy
Matilda happiness when she is inherently discontent with her circumstances.

Maupassant is conveying the message that no one can predict how life would turn
out and it is better to acclimatize with the conditions of life and try to make the
most of them rather than to suppurate what can’t be undone.