What is the theme of "The Necklace", and how does the author use symbolism and irony to explain this theme?

The main themes
of first and foremost, in my opinion, is Class Conflict as Madame Loisel, a member of lower
class strives to appear to be in a higher class than she actually is, which causes conflict, but
it also hints at another theme of Appearances and Reality.  Madame Loisel is determined to make
herself appear to be at a higher level on the social ladder than she actually is; however her
desire to attain this goal leads to a display of Generosity on the part of Madame Forestier as
she loans a very expensive necklace to the Greedy Madame Loisel who looses it.  The necklace
actually seems to be a symbol of her life, the insincerity of her character, and how her greed
leads to her ultimate misery in life because she is forced to give up her own goals in life to
repay Madame Forestier for the necklace she has lost, effectively ending her feeble climb up the
social ladder. is best demonstrated in the fact that she wastes her life to pay for a cheap copy
of the original necklace, while she herself is nothing more than a cheap copy. Check the links
below for more information.