Very Short Summary
Paris, late 19th century. A young woman named Mathilde Loisel received an invitation to a prestigious ministerial ball.
Her husband gave her money for a dress, and she borrowed a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier. At the ball, Mathilde was a great success, but afterward, she discovered the necklace was missing.
Unable to find the original necklace, the Loisels bought a replacement for thirty-six thousand francs, going deeply into debt. They spent the next ten years living in poverty, working multiple jobs to repay their loans.
After finally paying off the debt, Mathilde met Madame Forestier, who barely recognized her old friend due to her aged appearance. When Mathilde explained about losing the necklace and replacing it,
Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste! It was worth at most only five hundred francs!
The revelation showed that their decade of hardship and sacrifice had been needless, as they had replaced a fake necklace with real diamonds.
Detailed Summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Mathilde Loisel's Character and Discontent
She was one of those pretty and charming young creatures who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no expectations, no way of being known, understood, loved
Despite her natural beauty and charm, Mathilde lived a life of constant dissatisfaction. She was married to a clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction, yet she yearned for a more luxurious existence. She suffered deeply from the plainness of her dwelling, its shabby furniture, and worn curtains. In her dreams, she imagined grand reception halls, elegant dinners, and conversations with distinguished men.
She had no gowns, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that. She felt made for that. She would have liked so much to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after
The Ball Invitation and Preparations
One evening, Monsieur Loisel returned home with an invitation to a grand ball at the Ministry of Public Instruction. Instead of being delighted, Mathilde threw the invitation down in distress, lamenting that she had nothing suitable to wear. Her husband, hoping to please her, offered to give her four hundred francs for a new dress, sacrificing money he had saved for a hunting trip.
Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin box, a superb diamond necklace, and her heart throbbed with an immoderate desire. Her hands trembled as she took it... and was lost in ecstasy at her reflection
The Ball and Loss of the Necklace
At the ball, Mathilde was the most beautiful woman present, drawing attention from all the men, including the minister himself. She danced with enthusiasm, intoxicated by her success and the admiration she received. However, when they left at four in the morning, she discovered the borrowed necklace was missing. Despite searching everywhere and reporting the loss to the police, they could not find it.
Desperate to replace the necklace before Madame Forestier discovered its loss, the Loisels found a similar one for thirty-six thousand francs. They borrowed money from various sources, signing ruinous obligations and dealing with usurers to raise the sum. When they returned the replacement to Madame Forestier, she merely reproached them for not bringing it back sooner.
Years of Hardship and Final Revelation
She came to know what heavy housework meant... She washed the dishes, using her dainty fingers and rosy nails on greasy pots and pans... defending her miserable money, sou by sou
The Loisels spent the next ten years repaying their debts. They moved to a cheaper apartment, dismissed their servant, and both worked tirelessly. Mathilde did heavy housework and haggled over every sou at the market, while her husband took on extra copying work at night. The hardship aged her prematurely, turning her into a strong, hard, rough woman of poor households.
This life lasted ten years. At the end of ten years they had paid everything, everything, with the rates of usury and the accumulations of the compound interest
One Sunday, while walking in the Champs Elysees, Mathilde encountered Madame Forestier, who remained young and beautiful. Barely recognizable, Mathilde approached her friend and revealed the truth about the necklace. To her shock, Madame Forestier disclosed that her necklace had been fake, worth at most five hundred francs. The Loisels had spent ten years of their lives paying for a worthless imitation.