The Necklace Theme

I would
say that the moral lesson of " " is that deception is often a mistake which has bad
results for the deceiver. Mathilde wishes to deceive the people attending the ball by making
them think she has a higher social status than is actually the case. The borrowed necklace helps
her to do this. Men want to dance with her, not only because she is young and beautiful, but
because they think she must be a member of the aristocracy. But her worst mistake is trying to
deceive Mme. Forestier by telling her she is having the clasp repaired and then substituting a
real diamond necklace for the one she borrowed without knowing it was a fake. Many readers have
expressed the feeling that Mathilde should have simply told the plain truth, that she lost the
borrowed necklace. Mark Twain once said: "When in doubt, tell the truth." There are
many similar wise sayings, such as "Honesty is the best policy." And "Honesty is
the best policy" might stand as the moral for Maupassant's story....