Fa Mo Bosang

Beautiful and moving women in the world are often born in the family of a small clerk; This is exactly what we are going to talk about now. She has no dowry assets, no hope, and no way for a rich and powerful person to know her, understand her, love her and marry her; Finally, she will marry a small clerk in the Ministry of Education.

Can not pay attention to decoration, she is simple, but unfortunately like a fallen woman; Because women have no class, no family distinction, their beauty, their charm, their temptation is only for their birth and family background. Their natural alertness, outstanding instinct and obedient mind constitute their only rank, and they can hold folk women as high as the highest lady.

She felt that she was born for all the beautiful and luxurious things, so she felt pain. She was very sad because of the shabby house, rough walls, outdated furniture and vulgar materials. All this may not be noticed by another woman in her position, but she is very sad and annoyed. Brittany's appearance of Meidochan, who helped her with trivial housework, caused her all kinds of sad regrets and cranky thoughts. She dreamed of those quiet reception rooms, how to cover them with oriental curtains, how to light bronze high-legged lamps, how to send two tall waiters in shorts on call, and the hot air heater made both waiters doze off in the big round back chair. She dreams of a large living room covered with ancient wall clothes and exquisite furniture with priceless porcelain bottles; She dreams of those delicate and fragrant little living rooms. At five o'clock in the afternoon, she can chat with her kind boyfriend and the celebrities that women envy and are eager to see.

However, in fact, every day when eating, she sits at the small round table opposite her husband. It took three days to change the white cloth on the table. As soon as the husband lifted the lid of Tang Chi, he said cheerfully, "Ha! Good broth! There is nothing better in the world ... "So she dreamed of a rich and exquisite banquet, brilliant silverware, embroidered with fairyland-like gardens, ancient ladies and exotic birds; She dreamed of the delicious food on expensive plates and the sweet words she listened to with a bright smile when eating pink bass or grouse wings.

She has no decent clothes, no jewelry and nothing. But that's what she likes, and she thinks she was born for it. She has long expected that she can please others, be envied, be tempted and be pursued.

She has a rich girlfriend, who is a female classmate in a church girls' school, but now she doesn't want to see her again, because it will always hurt to come back after seeing her. So because of her sadness, regret, disappointment and anxiety, one after another, she looked forward to one evening when her husband came back with a triumphant look, holding a big envelope in his hand.

"Look," he said, "this is something special for you." She quickly opened the envelope and drew an invitation from it, which read:

"Minister of education Iorgi? Mr. and Mrs. Lombono are honored to invite Mr. and Mrs. Russell to the party held in the headquarters building on Monday, 1 month 18. "

Her husband wanted her to be happy, but she threw the invitation on the table with a sad and angry expression and said coldly:

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"However, my dear friend, I think you may be very satisfied. You never go out, and this is an opportunity, this thing, a good opportunity! How hard it took me to get it. Everyone wants to be invited. It's hard to get, but there is no invitation.

How many copies to send to colleagues? You can see all the politicians at the party in the future. "

She looked at him angrily, and then she shouted impatiently:

"What do you want me to wear to go there?"

He didn't think of this layer before; Prevaricated:

"However, you wore this dress to the theatre. I think this is very good, I ... "

Seeing his wife in tears, he stopped talking in surprise and confusion. Two big tears slowly flowed down from the corner of her eye in the direction of quarrel; He ate his mouth and said:

"How are you? How are you? "

But she suppressed her pain with strong endurance and wiped her wet face while using it.

A calm voice replied:

"Nothing. But I have no clothes, so I can't go to the party. If you have a colleague whose wife dresses better than me, you can give him this invitation. "

He was worried, and then said:

"So, Mathieu. How much is it, a decent suit, something simple that I can wear again in the future? "

She thought for a few seconds, determined her own calculation, and considered that the amount must be what she could ask for, so as not to cause a sudden visit and rebuff from the thrifty clerk.

Finally, she replied hesitantly:

"I don't know the details, but I estimate that with 400 gold francs, I can always do it."

His face is a little blue, because he is saving such a sum of money to buy a gun, so that he can go hunting in Nander Plain with some hunting friends on Sunday this summer.

However, he replied:

"That's it. I'll give you four hundred gold francs. But you must try to make a beautiful dress. "

As the date of the party drew near, Mrs. Russell looked worried, uneasy and a little uneasy. However, her new dress has been made. One night, her husband asked her:

"How are you? Think about it, you have been very different in these three days. " So she said:

"Not a piece of jewelry, not a gem, with wearing, not at all. It really bothers me. It's simply too poor. Now I'd rather not go to this party. "

He went on to say:

"You can wear some flowers in the future. That's excellent in the current season. Ten gold francs can buy two or three beautiful roses. " She didn't listen at all.

"No ... the most humiliating thing in the world is to show your poverty among many rich women."

But her husband shouted:

"You are so confused! Go to your friend Mrs. Fleischer and borrow some jewels from her. Your friendship with her is open. "

She suddenly gave a cheerful cry:

"It's true. I never thought about this layer at first. "

The next day, she went to a friend's house and chatted with her about her boredom.

Mrs. Fowler Shijie went to the front of her wardrobe with a mirror embedded in it, took out a big box, brought it here and opened it, and said to Mrs. Russell:

"You choose, dear."

At first, she saw many bracelets, then a necklace inlaid with pearls, and then a Venice-style gold cross inlaid with gems, which was very exquisite in workmanship. She tried these jewels in front of the mirror and hesitated to leave them and return them. She kept asking.

"Do you have anything else?"

"Have a plenty of, you find it yourself. I don't know which one suits you. " Suddenly, in a small box made of black satin, she found a necklace inlaid with Jin Gangzuan, which really overwhelmed everything; So her heart gradually jumped because of a kind of extravagant hope. She was shaking with that thing in her hand. She put it on the collar of her robe, wrapped it around her neck and stared at herself in the mirror for a long time.

Later, she looked at it with anxiety and hesitate to ask:

"Can you lend me this thing? I only borrow this one? "

"Of course, of course."

She jumped up and hugged her friend's neck, kissed her affectionately, and finally, she ran away with this baby.

The day of the party came, and Mrs. Russell was a great success. She is more beautiful, fashionable and charming than other female guests, always smiling and ecstatic. Generally, male guests look at her, listen to her name and try to get people to introduce themselves to her. Everyone in the confidential department of this department wants to dance with her, and the minister pays attention to her.

She danced with intoxicated gestures and excited movements. She was in the seventh heaven of rapture. She is content with the glory of appearance victory and achievement. Satisfied with all the flattery and the song that makes women feel extremely perfect and sweet, a happy auspicious cloud surrounds her. So she doesn't think about anything.

She left around four o'clock in the morning. Since midnight, her husband and three other male guests have fallen asleep in a deserted small living room. The wives of three male guests are also dancing happily.

He put the clothes she brought to the street on her shoulders, the simple clothes commonly used at home, and the shabby meaning of these things did not match the luxurious style of the clothes at the dance. She felt this floor, so in order to avoid the attention of other ladies wrapped in precious leather clothes, she wanted to escape.

Locke took her:

"and so on. You will catch cold outside. I'll find a streetcar to rent. "

But she never listened to him and hurried down the steps. When they walked into the street, they couldn't find the car; So they started searching, chasing cars that could be seen from a distance.

They walked to the banks of the Seine. They were disappointed and shivering with cold. In the end, they found an old car like Nightcrawler by the river-such a car was shameful in Paris during the day, so it could not be seen until after dark.

The car took them to the front door of the apartment in Martyrdom Street, and they went upstairs in frustration. It's all over for her. As for him, he remembers that he should be in the Ministry at ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

She took off those big coats over her shoulders in front of the mirror and wanted to look at her incomparable glory again. But suddenly she let out a scream. She doesn't have that Jin Gangzuan necklace around her neck!

By this time, her husband had already taken off half his clothes and quickly asked:

"How are you?"

She turned to him in a daze:

"I have ... I have ... I can't find Mrs. Fleischer's necklace now."

He stood up off guard:

"what! ..... what! ..... where there will be such a thing! "

So they searched in the hem of their robes, the hem of their coats and their pockets. I can't find it anywhere.

He asked:

"Can you promise not to hang the ball on it?"

"Yes, I touched it in the aisle of the Ministry."

"However, if you lose it on the road, we can hear it fall. It should be in the car. "

"Yes. It's possible. Did you write down the car number? "

"No, what about you? You didn't pay attention at first?"

"No."

They all stared at each other silently. Finally, Russell got dressed again.

"I will go," he said. "I'll look at the route we walked again and see if I can find it."

So he walked out of the street. As for her, she doesn't even have the strength to sleep. She never changed clothes for a party and leaned back in an armchair. There was no fire in the room, and she thought nothing.

Her husband comes home at seven o'clock. I can't find anything.

He went to the police headquarters and the newspaper to hang a reward, and went to the company that rented cabs everywhere. In short, he goes wherever there is a glimmer of hope.

Faced with such a terrible disaster, she waited in horror all day.

Russell came back at night, with a thin, gray face; He found nothing.

"Yes," he said, "write to your girlfriend and say that you broke the hook of that necklace and are now repairing it there. So that we can have turnaround time. "

She wrote the letter at his dictation.

A week later, all their hopes were dashed. And Locke Selma like a five-year-old child, loudly say:

"Now we should try to make up for the baby."

The next day, they took the box with the treasure and went to the jewelry store according to the sign inside the box. The owner of the shop checked many account books.

"A long time ago, madam, this necklace was not sold in my shop. I only made this box. "

So they went to a jewelry store to look for the same thing as the lost jewelry, and took their own memories as a reference. They almost got sick because of sadness and sadness.

They found a rosary inlaid with Jin Gangzuan in a small shop in the Forbidden City Street, and they thought it was just the one they were looking for. It's worth forty thousand gold francs. The store can give them 36 thousand.

So they begged the owner of that small shop not to sell it for three days. In addition, the two sides agreed that if the original string is found before the end of February, the store will buy back 34,000 gold as A Lang.

Russell saved eighteen thousand gold francs left by his father. You have to borrow the rest.

He started to borrow money, borrowing 1,000 francs from this place, 500 francs from that place, five gold coins from Lu Yi and three from another place. He signed many IOUs, signed many bankruptcy contracts and dealt with blackmailers and lenders of various nationalities. He ruined his future for the rest of his life. He signed his name in spite of failure and frankness. Moreover, he thought about the future distress, the dark poverty that will press on him, and the prospect caused by the whole material shortage and all mental torture. Feeling terrible, he finally went to the jeweler's counter, put down 36 thousand gold francs and took the new necklace.

When Mrs. Russell returned the jewels to Mrs. Forrest Jeff, the man said to her with an unhappy expression:

"You should return it to me earlier, because I may need it."

She didn't open the box at that time, which was exactly what her girlfriend was worried about. What would she think if she saw through this body double? Won't you treat her like a thief?

Mrs Russell has tasted the embarrassing life of the poor. In addition, I suddenly made up my mind with great pride that this terrible debt must be paid back. She is ready to pay back. They fired the maid; Moved home; Rented an attic under the roof.

She began to do all kinds of rough housework, and the daily work in the kitchen was disgusting. She washes cups, plates and dishes, and grinds those rosy fingers on the greasy bases of pots and pans. Underwear and rags are washed with soap and then hung on the rope; Every morning, she gets up early, carries the garbage downstairs and then carries the water upstairs. Every time she walks a floor, she will sit on the stairs to catch her breath. And dressed like an ordinary woman, she went to grocery stores, grocery stores and butcher shops with a basket on her arm and was scolded for bargaining, trying to protect her poor change one by one.

A lot of IOUs are collected every month, and several new extension dates are also set.

Her husband does accounts for a businessman at night, often late at night, and even copies a book with five coppers.

Finally, this life was extended to ten years.

Ten years later, they actually paid off all their debts, together with the interest of usurers and the amount rolled in from Galilee.

Mrs Russell looks very old. Now, she has changed from a poor woman to a strong, hard-working and bitter woman. Her hair was hanging in a mess, and her skirt was askew, revealing a pair of red hands, talking loudly and washing the floor with a big basin of water. But sometimes her husband went to the office and she sat by the window alone, so she recalled the previous party, the dance, and she was so beautiful and happy.

If she hadn't lost that jewelry, what would she be like now? Who knows? Who knows? Life is so strange and changeable. Whether it's hurting you or saving you, it's just a small matter.

However, one Sunday, she was walking along the Champs Elysé es, adjusting her daily work for a week, when she suddenly saw a woman walking with her children. That's Mrs Fleischer. She is always young, always beautiful and always charming.

Mrs Russell was very excited. Do you want to talk to her? Yes, of course. Now that I have paid off my debts, I can tell her completely. Why not? She stepped forward.

"Good morning, johanna."

The one who didn't know her at all thought it strange to be called so kindly by this civilian woman. She said falteringly:

"But ... this lady! ..... I don't know ... Maybe you're mistaken.

"There is nothing wrong. I'm Mathilde? Russell. "

Her girlfriend crazy let out a cry:

"oh! ..... Poor Mathilde, you've really changed! ……"

"Yes, I have experienced many difficult days since I last saw you; And all kinds of sufferings are for you! ……"

"for me ... what is this?"

"Once upon a time, didn't you lend me A Jin's diamond necklace to attend a party in the Ministry? Now, do you remember? "

"Yes, how?"

"I lost that string of things anyway."

"No, you gave it back to me."

"I once gave you another identical rope. Up to now, it has taken us ten years to pay the price. For those of us who have nothing, you know it is not easy ... Now that I have paid off my account, I am really satisfied. "

Mrs. Fleischer stopped:

"But you said that you bought the A Jin diamond necklace to compensate for my loss?"

"Yes, you haven't seen it before, have you? These two strings of things are exactly the same. "

With that, she smiled with conceit and naive happiness.

Mrs Fu let Lai Shijie very moved, grabbed her hands:

"alas. Poor Mathilde, but my rope is fake. It's worth 500 gold francs at most! ……"

necklace

Article genre short story

Author (France) Mo Bosang

Creation year 1884

English name La Parure

Basic information

The Necklace is a short story written by French writer Mo Bosang in 1884.

The story tells that Mathilde, the wife of a small civil servant, borrowed a diamond necklace from a friend to show off her beauty for a party. Unexpectedly, the necklace was accidentally lost on the way home. She had to borrow money to buy a new necklace and then give it back to her friend. In order to pay her debts, she scrimped and saved, and worked hard for others for ten years. Finally, I realized that the necklace I borrowed was a fake diamond necklace.

"The Necklace" uses the technique of describing people with objects, taking the necklace as the main line, and starting from its multiple relationships with characters, it firmly binds the behavior, language and psychological activities of the characters, so that readers can see the image of the heroine at a glance through the necklace.

brief Introduction of the content

Mathilde is a beautiful woman and her husband is an ordinary clerk. Although she is in a low position, she is obsessed with luxurious aristocratic life. In order to attend a grand party, she made a dress with 400 francs saved by her husband and borrowed a beautiful necklace from a friend. At the minister's party, Mathilde stole the show with her outstanding charm, and her vanity was fully satisfied, but she lost the borrowed necklace. In this case, she had to hide her friend and make up for it slowly. From then on, the couple lived a frugal life of 10 years. In this difficult accumulation process, Mathilde's hands became rough and her face became old. Later, she was surprised to learn that the necklace she lost was only a low-priced artificial diamond necklace, but she paid for a real diamond necklace. In this way, Mathilde worked hard in vain 10 years.

Creation background

65438- 1980 in France, capitalism developed viciously, the big bourgeoisie took power, plundered the people, government corruption prevailed, and social morality declined. The decadent life of the bourgeoisie and the mercenary moral concept have influenced the whole society, and the pursuit of pleasure and vanity has become a bad social atmosphere. This social atmosphere is also common among the petty bourgeoisie. Because this class is extremely unstable in capitalist society, they always want to get rid of this situation and join the upper class. But only a few people succeeded, and most of them fell into a more tragic experience in the competition of capitalism.