The Necklace ||Footprints Without Feet|| Class 10 English Chapter 7 Summary
The Necklace is a story written by French author Guy de Maupassant. It revolves around a woman named Mathilde Loisel, who is dissatisfied with her modest lifestyle and dreams of luxury and wealth. The story is about how her desires lead to unexpected consequences.
Summary:
The story begins with Mathilde Loisel, a beautiful but discontented woman, who feels she was born for a life of riches. She constantly dreams of finer things, such as expensive clothes, jewelry, and a glamorous social life, but is married to a modest clerk, Monsieur Loisel, who works in the Ministry of Education.
One day, Monsieur Loisel brings home an invitation to an exclusive ball at the Ministry. While he thinks it will please his wife, Mathilde is upset because she has nothing elegant to wear. To make her happy, Monsieur Loisel gives her money to buy a beautiful dress. Even with the dress, Mathilde still feels incomplete, as she has no jewelry to wear. She borrows a dazzling diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.
Mathilde attends the ball, looking stunning and enjoying the attention. However, after returning home, she realizes she has lost the necklace. The couple searches everywhere but cannot find it. Desperate, they decide to replace it by buying a new one, which costs them a large amount of money—requiring them to take loans and live in poverty for the next ten years.
After years of hard work and sacrifices to pay off the debt, Mathilde encounters Madame Forestier again. When Mathilde explains the reason for her hardships, Madame Forestier reveals that the original necklace was fake and worth very little.
The story highlights themes of pride, materialism, and the consequences of vanity. It ends with a powerful twist, showing how Mathilde's desire for wealth led to her downfall.