Ostentation and vanity often land people …

It is a universal and time-tested truth that ostentation and vanity often land people in trouble. Matilda is an apt example of this. Wise men have always emphasized on the axiom ‘Cut your coat according to your cloth.’ There is much wisdom hidden in this cautionary proverb. However, people often fall prey to the temptations such as ostentation and vanity of the world. The Necklace is a wonderful story that teaches us the similar lesson. Matilda had been ambitious since beginning. She had excessive attraction for the rich society. When her husband received invitation to the ball, she became abnormally excited about it. She went beyond her means to make arrangements for herself for the ball. She spent excessively on her dress. And for the jewellery, she thought of borrowing Madame Forestier’s necklace. Unfortunately, the borrowed necklace was lost at the party. She and her husband had to face ten years’ grueling headships to pay for the replacement of the lost necklace. After ten years she came to know from Madame Forestier that it was just an artificial necklace. If Matilda had not been so much lured by ostentation and vanity, she would not have faced all those hardships