Literary realism aims to represent reality: the mundane, everyday people, places, and events that occur in routine, daily life for the people who tend to make up the majority of the population of a place. Thus, the characterization of Mathilde Loisel as a common woman born to a “family of artisans,” a woman with “no marriage portion” and no aristocratic connections feels very much in keeping with the tradition of literary realism. She is married to a “little clerk” who works for a government office, and there is nothing glamorous about her life. She feels that she “suffer[s] endlessly” because her house is ordinary instead of lavish, because her belongings are common rather than luxurious. The descriptions of the home she shares with her husband, especially in contrast to the fantasies she imagines, are all quite realistic.

Likewise, the relationship between Madame Loisel and her husband is depicted in a realist manner. It is not an idealized or romanticized relationship where they seem never to disagree with one another; instead, Monsieur Loisel tries to do something nice for his wife without really understanding the financial limitations of their situation or why his gesture might cause her pain. She is ungracious in her response to him, causing his confusion, and he feels “heart-broken.” Ultimately, the Loisels must work themselves to the bone to pay off the loans they take out to pay for the necklace to replace Madame Forestier’s; theirs is no happily-ever-after. This, too, is quite realistic.