167. The Diamond Necklace. Guy De Maupassant Story Reintroduced By P S Remesh Chandran

167

The Diamond Necklace. Guy De Maupassant Story Reintroduced

P. S. Remesh Chandran

Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
 
01. Article Title Image By Bat Sheva Sida. Graphics: Adobe SP.

02. Guy de Maupassant In 1888 Foto By Félix Nadar.

Maupassant (Moppasaang) was a French short story writer. His stories have fine twists towards their end, like O. Henry's. In The Diamond Necklace, he ridicules the vanity and ostentation of women and their lust for wearing costly ornaments. The story conveys the plain message that no one shall borrow ornaments for wearing in a party. Rather, do not go to the party. A tear and a slight laughter, mostly tears- that’s his policy in writing stories. Many a people has wept and laughed reading them.

She loved to have heavy furniture and delicate food but had only hard food and delicate furniture.
 03. Social Gatherings In France In 1867 By Frédéric Bazille.

Mathilde (Mettilda) in the story in fact has no mettle- spirit or courage. She was the wife of Loisel who was a clerk in government and had only a limited income. Though poor, she was very handsome and loved the luxury and riches which were denied to her in her life. She imagined she was a high-born, rich, aristocratic lass and dreamed about living in magnificent houses with very large halls, perfumed rooms and quite a number of servants. The tone and style of the story-telling is such that rather than pitying her, we will ardently pray to God to grant her all those blessings she wishes for. Poverty is sadness, and prosperity and riches are what the world wishes for, to live in happiness always. If someone is poor, no one will know about her grief and yearning for riches and happiness, until some great writer like Maupassant comes and tells it this way. She loved rich clothes and ornaments and liked to have heavy furniture and delicate food. But she only had hard food and delicate furniture in the house. The poorness of her home tormented and insulted her continuously as it does us also. Therefore Mathilde was dissatisfied in her life. 

People partying to keep away cold and loneliness and for gourmet food and wine !

 
04. Poor People's Life In France In 1882 By Willy Martens.

France was a great country with great cities, dotted on their brinks with slums of poor people, with riches and poverty, opulence and suffering, and wisdom and folly existing side by side. And it was cold too. People would not have firewood to burn in their hearths, nor coal, to keep away the cold. Parties kept away cold and people went there. As women were not working, generally, it was their only outdoor activity and relief. And there was food and wine in plenty. And there was dancing. And there was holding hands.

 05. Rich People's Life In France In 1890s By Hans Zatzka.

The generous and the most benevolent of people invited all to their parties and the rich snobs too. So parties were a favourite of people and were the major social events in villages and towns. Where else would people go at a time when the Lumière Brothers- Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean- had not grown up and Cinema had not yet born on 12 February 1892, just two years before Maupassant passed away? 

Pride goes before a fall: to become the star among stars.
 
 
06. Rich People In 19th Century France. Nothing Else To Do, So Eavesdropping By Vittorio Reggianini.

One day her husband brought home an invitation to a great party, to be given by the Minister for Education and Lady. Without proper dress and ornaments, Mathilde could have chosen not to go, but she wanted to go and appear there very impressive too, like a star among the guests. Thousands of such incidents happen in this world each week and no one notices their folly, until one comes across this story. Mathilde borrowed a beautiful diamond necklace from her rich school mate and childhood friend Madame Forestiere and she was the star at the party. But, that necklace was lost in the midst of her merrymaking. The frantic search by the husband and wife for it during the night needn't be mentioned here, except that it was futile.

Ten years of poverty, hardship and suffering and she became a fragile little inconsequential being like others.
  

07. A Scene From A Maupassant Work 1903 By Unknown.

Now we see the spectacle of punishment for sin. Mortgaging almost everything they had and signing promissory notes and I. O. Us, they collected Thirty six thousand Franks and succeeded in purchasing an exact replica of the lost one. When the necklace was returned, Madame Forestiere did not even casually glance at it, but threw it into a heap of others the like, the significance of which we are yet to know. To make good of their loss, the couple took to a very hard economical living. They changed their home to a low-rent room, the servant was sent away and the lady herself did cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping. The husband did extra night jobs to repay debts. After ten years of poverty, hardship and suffering, the last Frank was repaid. But within that time, Mathilde had lost her beauty, charm and health. The beauty of her hands and face were lost and she became a fragile little inconsequential being like the other ten thousands of the French in those times. Now she is a ghost of her old self.

It was like the wife and husband had toiled ten years to purchase a necklace.
 

08. A Scene From A Maupassant Work 1903 By Walter Dunne.

One day, after ten years, she met Madame Forestiere on the street, more beautiful and pretty than ever. She was startled to see Mathilde in such a shape and asked her who made her that way. “You”, was the reply. Mathilde then told her the story of the loss and replacement of the necklace. The bewildered Madame revealed that her necklace was a clever imitation, costing no more than Five Franks. Now the readers, who already have been grieving with the sinner in her misery, have a hope at last. Forestiere may return the Thirty six thousand Frank-necklace to her poor school mate, as she is a Madame. That will be the compensation. It would be like the wife and husband had toiled ten years to purchase a necklace. Mathilde has paid for the great mistake in her life. We truly sympathize with her. We now feel she was ‘more sinned against, than sinning’. 

Life and works of Guy De Maupassant:

  
09. Maupassant Work Acted By Simone Simon And Kurt Kreugerin 1944 By RKO Pictures.

This Part Is Under Edit.

10. Article Title Image By GLady. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Written: Not known
First published on: 31 October 2012

An audio recording of The Diamond Necklace, 19 min 26 s long and 13.17 MB is available under public domain at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/The_Diamond_Necklace.ogg

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Pictures Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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Picture Credits:

01. Article Title Image By Bat Sheva Sida. Graphics: Adobe SP.
02. Guy de Maupassant In 1888 Foto By Félix Nadar.
03. Social Gatherings In France In 1867 By Frédéric Bazille.
04. Poor People's Life In France In 1882 By Willy Martens.
05. Rich People's Life In France In 1890s By Hans Zatzka.
06. Rich People In 19th Century France. Nothing Else To Do, So Eavesdropping By Vittorio Reggianini.
07. A Scene From A Maupassant Work 1903 By Unknown.
08. A Scene From A Maupassant Work 1903 By Walter Dunne.
09. Maupassant Work Acted By Simone Simon And Kurt Kreugerin 1944 By RKO Pictures.  
10. Article Title Image By GLady. Graphics: Adobe SP.
11. Author Profile of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.

About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:
 
11. Author Profile of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.

Editor of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala. Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.

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Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com

Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.

Tags:

Guy De Maupassant, The Diamond Necklace, French Short Stories, Going Parties, Borrowing Costly Ornaments, Vanity Ostentation, Imitation Jewellery, Dancing Merrymaking, Economical Living, Poverty, // Riches Luxury Living, Food Wine, Holding Hands, Social Events, Wisdom Foolery, English Articles, English Essays, French Writers, Free Student Notes,