Madame
Loisel's character is superficial and concerned about status. When invited to the Minister of
Public Instruction's soiree, a difficult invitation to receive considering her husband's status
as clerk, she is not satisfied. "She looked at [her husband] with an irritated eye, and she
said, impatiently: 'And what do you want me to put on my back?'" Her initial reaction is
not of gratitude but of ingratitude because she doesn't have a dress to wear to the
event.
Madame Loisel does not care that her husband may not be able to
afford finer items such as dresses or jewelry; she only cares that she presents the illusion
that she is wealthy and of an appropriate status. This is what leads her to borrow
jewelry.
Madame Loisel chooses the necklace rather than wearing flowers or
even another piece of jewelry because the necklace symbolizes status and wealth.
All of a sudden she discovered, in a black satin box, a
superb necklace of diamonds; and her heart began to beat with an immoderate desire. Her hands
trembled as she took it. She fastened it around her throat, outside her high-necked dress, and
remained lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself.
Ultimately, it is Madame Loisel's desire for a higher status and wealth and
dissatisfaction with her life that contribute to her borrowing the jewelry.
Madame Loisel borrows the necklace and unfortunately loses it. This event is a turning
point in her life because she must work tirelessly to afford a replacement necklace. As a
result, Madame Loisel is reduced to a lower status (both economically and socially) than she was
prior to borrowing the necklace. In the end, we learn that the necklace she coveted and which
symbolized wealth to her was indeed a fake and not worth much more than fresh flowers.
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