In the excerpt from "The Diamond Necklace," Guy de Maupassant characterizes Mathilde as both a tragic figure and a victim of her own desires and illusions. Throughout her dialogue with Madame Forestier, Mathilde reveals her deep sense of pride and dignity, but also her naivety and obsession with status and appearances.
Mathilde's initial tone reflects her bitterness and hardship—she feels that her current life of poverty is a direct consequence of the loss of the necklace and the deception that ensued. This indicates that she harbors resentment and blames her misfortunes largely on the circumstances surrounding the necklace.
As the dialogue progresses, Mathilde’s desperation is more palpable; she has spent ten years in toil and suffering to replace something she believed to be immensely valuable. Her revelation that she bought a similar necklace highlights her strong desire to maintain an illusion of wealth and beauty, emphasizing her social aspirations and the lengths she has gone to in order to preserve her image.
The irony is stark when Madame Forestier reveals that the original necklace was merely made of paste, worth far less than what Mathilde had believed. This moment characterizes Mathilde not only as someone who has suffered greatly but also as someone whose life has been defined by her misplaced values and her fixation on appearances. Ultimately, Mathilde emerges as a figure who has been shaped and crushed by societal expectations and her own vanity, leaving readers to reflect on the futility of her sacrifices and the tragic nature of her reality.