The Marginal Utility of Luxury Goods in the Necklace

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The Marginal Utility of Luxury Goods in The Necklace The final passage from Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace starts with an older more haggard Matilda Loisel taking a walk down the Champs-Elysees where she runs into Mrs. Forestier. Now that all of her debts are paid, Matilda feels it an appropriate time to reveal to Mrs. Forestier that she had lost and replaced her necklace, and wrecked in life in the process. Mrs. Forestier then delivers a piece of extremely ironic news to Matilda: the original necklace was made of false jewels. At first glance, it might appear that through of the loss of all semblance of luxury in her life, Matilda has begun to appreciate things like taking a walk in the Champs-Elysees. She seems no longer concerned with the life that she used to yearn for. It’s debatable whether she was more oppressed pre or post necklace-loss. But why would she choose to walk down the Champs-Elysees? The Champs-Elysees is a street in Paris with luxury shops, cinemas, cafes, and monuments, much like our ‘Magnificent Mile’ in Chicago. Her desire for the finer things seems to still exist, but in a more passive capacity. She is going there to rid herself of her cares for the week, so it would seem that Matilda is still the restless daydreamer that we saw earlier in the story. She is no longer concerned with looking lower class in public. The Matilda we knew at the beginning of the story would not even think of going to the ball unless she was donning the finest dress and jewels. You could argue that she is more comfortable in her own skin now, but the argument could also be made that this is pathetic; she is dreaming of a life that she can’t have, and previously, she at least had the dignity to not want to stand out as someone who does not belong. Previously, she had the desire to fit in and feel rich, not just look at rich people. Her lust for a life of
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