The Necklace
by Guy de Maupassant

The Necklace: Situational Irony 1 key example

Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Paste Diamonds:

In true keeping with de Maupassant’s style, "The Necklace" relies on irony to depict the difficult realities of its characters’ world. In addition, irony plays a crucial role in developing the theme of illusion and false appearances in this piece. Much of the irony in this story is situational, such as the scene in which Madame Forestier reveals that the diamond necklace is not made of diamonds at all:

"Oh, my poor Mathilde! My necklace was paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs! ..."