Mme. Jeanne Forestier learns from Mathilde Loisel that she and her husband replaced her fake necklace with real diamonds. At first, she is surprised by the appearance of her friend – she feels sorry for Mathilde. Forestier does not understand why her friend did not tell her the truth.
Detailed answer:
Mme. Jeanne Forestier is the main character’s richest friend. Mathilde turns to her to borrow a beautiful necklace for the ball. Subsequently, the woman loses it and is forced to abandon any chance of a prosperous life. She and her husband work for ten years to pay off their debts for the new necklace. Mme. Forestier does not notice the switch, and Loisel is too proud to inform her. Guy de Maupassant uses Jeanne for his famous twist ending – Forestier tells Mathilde that the borrowed necklace was fake. By confessing her mistake sooner, the woman would have escaped poverty.
The first thing Mme Forestier experiences seeing a friend after ten years is compassion. “Oh, my poor Mathilde!” she exclaims. She is probably surprised that a friend blames her for her poverty. In the ending of The Necklace, “Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her [Mathilde’s] hands.” Jeanne’s emotions are mixed – she feels surprised and sorry. Perhaps she also sees Mathilde’s foolishness in not confessing to the loss sooner. Her long labors and efforts lose all meaning in one moment.
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