‘The Necklace’ has a very valuable message. Exemplifying it with the fate of Matilda, the author advocates the importance of truthfulness in our lives.
Matilda represents many men and women who belonging to poor families have a fascination for the life of rich. They can't accept themselves the way they are and never live with contentment.
Thinking herself to be born for all delicacies and luxuries, Matilda wasn’t true to herself and her life. She could never happily accept that she was born in a poor family. The poor standards of living angered her and she suffered incessantly.
When she was invited to an official ball party, she tried to hide her poverty by borrowing a necklace from her friend. She lost it. To save her from being insulted, she didn't tell the truth to her friend. She and her husband decided to replace that diamond necklace with a new one. She suffered immensely for ten long years just because of her pretentious nature, over-ambitiousness and falsehood.
Th portrayal of Matilda’s character and the crisis that she had to face eventually teaches that honesty, truth and being content are the keys to a happy life.