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Mathilde Loisel is a middle class, working citizen who dresses plainly, dwells on the "wretched look of the walls, from the worn out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains", who dreams of being rich. She desires to live a luxurious lifestyle and suffers of the idea of being a middle class. "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that" is stated on Page 1. This demonstrates that she aspires to become wealthy and live a rich lifestyle.
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As the day of the ball moves closer, she is still unhappy. Mathilde Loisel is "sad, uneasy, anxious" and annoyed that she doesn't own "a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on". On Page 2 she states "there is nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other women who are rich". Again, this demonstrates she is unhappy with her life. Her husband recommends that she visits her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier. She agrees to lend Mathilde Loisel a "superb necklace of diamonds".
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The day of the ball had arrived. Mathilde Loisel was crazy with joy and was overjoyed with her new lifestyle. Everyone was watching her. She bathed in the glory of her success and met her husband after the ball. It was cold out, but Mathilde Loisel refused to wear a coat as she didn't want to reveal her true background. When she got home, she removed the wraps, to once more see herself "in all the glory". She soon let out a scream and realised she no longer had the necklace around her neck.
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Her and her husband were in shock as they exchanged concerned views on where the necklace could be located. Her husband reassured her that it would be find, and they began searching far and wide for it. As it came to light that the necklace would not be found, Mathilde Loisel and her husband realised that they would have to pay for a new necklace. They went all around town for necklaces that were similar. The closest one was worth ten thousand.
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One evening, Mathilde Loisel's husband, Monseiur Loisel, comes home with a paper that invites them to a famous ball at the Palace of the Ministry. To the surprise of her husband, Mathilde Loisel throws the invitation and is unhappy. She argues she has nothing to wear and is not good enough. She begins crying. Her husband was in despair, as he always wanted to please his wife. He gives her four hundred francs (a lot of money) to but a dress, suitable for the ball.
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Mathilde Loisel and her husband work for ten years and throw away their life savings, to finally be able to afford a replacement necklace. She delivers it to her rich friend, who tells them that the necklace was made of fake diamonds, and would barely be worth 500 francs. This is important as they had worked away for years on end, for a necklace that was a fake. The moral of the story is that money isn't everything and to be satisfied and grateful for what you have.