What is goal of character in the diamond necklace?

Answer 1

In Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Diamond Necklace," the main character, Mathilde Loisel, is driven by a deep sense of dissatisfaction with her life and a longing for wealth, status, and the luxury that she believes would make her truly happy. Her primary goal is to transcend her modest social standing and live the life of opulence and elegance that she feels she deserves. However, her ambition is rooted in vanity, envy, and a distorted sense of self-worth.

Mathilde's Goals and Desires

Mathilde is portrayed as a woman who feels trapped by her lower-middle-class status, constantly yearning for the finer things in life—expensive clothes, grand parties, and admiration from others. Her goal is to escape this perceived drudgery of her daily existence and elevate herself to the ranks of the elite. She believes that her beauty and charm would be better appreciated in a higher social circle, and that her current circumstances are an injustice to her.

This goal becomes particularly evident when Mathilde is invited to an extravagant ball. To live out her fantasy of being the belle of the ball, she borrows a seemingly expensive diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier. Wearing the necklace gives Mathilde a fleeting taste of the high society lifestyle she craves. In that moment, she achieves her goal of feeling elegant, beautiful, and admired by others. She experiences the attention and respect that she believes should be hers by right.

The Consequences of Her Ambition

However, Mathilde's goal is built on superficial values, and this sets up the story's dramatic irony. After losing the borrowed necklace, her life takes a drastic turn. Rather than confessing the loss to Madame Forestier, she decides to replace the necklace, which plunges her and her husband into years of financial hardship. They work tirelessly for a decade to repay the debts they incurred to buy a replacement necklace.

In a tragic twist, it is revealed that the original necklace was a fake, worth a fraction of the cost they spent to replace it. This irony underscores the futility of Mathilde’s initial goal—her pursuit of superficial wealth and status ultimately leads to her downfall, not her elevation.

The Broader Theme

Mathilde’s goal of achieving a higher social status reflects the broader theme of the story: the dangers of materialism and vanity. Her relentless pursuit of appearances and her obsession with the external trappings of wealth blind her to the value of her own life and what she already has. Maupassant uses Mathilde's story to criticize a society that places so much importance on material wealth and social rank, illustrating the devastating consequences of chasing such illusions.

In conclusion, the goal of Mathilde Loisel in "The Diamond Necklace" is to escape her modest life and live the life of luxury she dreams of. However, this goal is ultimately unattainable because it is based on shallow values and a misunderstanding of true happiness. Her pursuit of wealth and status leads not to fulfillment, but to ruin, as she sacrifices everything she has for the sake of appearances.

Answer 2

The goal of the main character, Mathilde Loisel, in "The Diamond Necklace" is to appear wealthy and glamorous by borrowing a diamond necklace for a special event. She aims to impress others with her expensive appearance and elevate her social status for one night. However, her pursuit of this goal leads to unforeseen consequences that have a lasting impact on her life.