The Irony of the Necklace

During the course of Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace," the main character, Matilda Loisel, makes a number of ironic discoveries. In addition, there are other discoveries that the reader makes but Matilda does not. The discovery that forms the story's climax concerns the true nature of the necklace she has borrowed from her friend Mrs. Forestier. However, this is perhaps not the most important lesson of this story.
As the story opens, Matilda, a young lower middle-class wife who desires to join in upper class, is invited to a high-society affair given by her husband's employer…