Poor or Average?
Mathilde will never be satisfied with the blessings she has because she always wants more. The only moment in her life described in the story as being a moment of happiness was the night at the party where "she was prettier than anyone else" (8). However, poor people would not have been able to afford a maid; therefore, before dismissing their maid to help pay off the debt from the diamond necklace, the Loisels seemed to have been higher up on the social ladder than that of the working class. Similarly, Mrs. Forrestier had been a close friend to Mathilde before her hardship began as she trusted Mathilde enough to lend her a piece of jewelry; however, Mrs. Forrestier "gave no sign of recognition and was astonished to be addressed so familiarly by this working-class woman" (12). Mrs. Forrestier could not remember ever knowing anyone so low on the social/economic level which shows how Mathilde was not as poor as she claimed to be in her complaints to her husband.
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