How should a thesis statement for "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant be written?

"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant is rich with potential thesis statements. The thesis statement is succinct text that outlines the main theme of the paper. Generally, it is placed at the introduction. It tells the reader the main theme the writer will discuss. In a sense, it is a summary at the beginning of the paper that tells the reader what the paper or essay will discuss, just as the conclusion at the end of the paper summarizes what the paper has discussed. To paraphrase Aristotle, "Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them." The thesis statement is the first step of that directive.

There are many approaches that a writer can take with regard to a thesis statement discussing "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. For instance, one could discuss Madame Loisel's vanity and how it leads to her misfortune. The writer could support that with a direct quote from the short story:

She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after.

Another possible approach would be to discuss, in a similar vein, how Madame Loisel covets the costly belongings of her rich friend and other privileged people. The writer could support this thesis with another quotation:

She had a friend ... whom she did not like to go and see any more, because she suffered so much when she came back.

Other potential topics are Mme. Loisel’s lack of gratitude towards her good-natured husband and her egoism, how Madame Loisel gets her comeuppance for her vanity, or that Mme. Loisel learns to understand what true needs are. To support the latter, the writer could use the following quotation:

Mme. Loisel now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover, all on a sudden, with heroism. That dreadful debt must be paid. She would pay it.

To discuss the thesis that life sometimes turns on a dime, the writer could focus on the following:

What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? who knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!

Finally, another possible topic could be the irony of fate, which becomes evident when Madame Loisel learns that the necklace was paste and not diamonds.

An ideal thesis should make some claim about the text, a statement of opinion that can be argued and defended; it can include a reference to a theme and/or a very brief outline of the ways you intend to prove the validity of your claim (but this "roadmap" of your argument can also come before your thesis statement in your introductory paragraph).

You might choose a symbol from the text and come up with some argument about what it means: for example, you could claim that the diamond necklace Madame Loisel borrows from her friend Madame Forestier is somehow symbolic of Loisel herself: something pretending to be something it is not.  This symbolism conveys the theme that it can be dangerous to pretend to be other than we are; after all, Madame Loisel gets herself in terrible trouble by doing just that.  

You might choose to focus on some aspect of characterization, perhaps the idea that Madame Loisel is to blame for her own misfortune because she refuses to be satisfied with her lot in life.  This might lead to the idea that it is best to simply accept and be grateful for what one has, because it could almost always be worse.  Madame Loisel's ingratitude for her thoughtful husband, as well as for the invitation and her beautiful gown (for which he sacrificed), is responsible for her (and his) terrible fate.

A thesis statement has two aims, to state your main idea, which is your thesis, and to list the points you will make to support that idea.  These are combined into one sentence that should be placed at the end of your introduction.

The starting point is to decide what your main idea is for your essay, what you want the reader to take away after reading your essay.  In this particular story, there are any number of main ideas you might want to focus on.  For example, your main idea might be that Madame Loisel is a particularly unlikable person.  Or your main idea could be that Madame Loisel is a dishonest woman.  You might also think that Madame Loisel learned a lesson in this story.  What lesson might that be?  It is up to you to settle on one main idea, and then you can decide how to support it. 

Let's suppose for the moment that you have decided your thesis is that Madame Loisel is quite unlikable.  Three ways to support that idea are to show that she is vain, never satisfied, and dishonest.  So, a thesis statement would look like this:

Madame Loisel is an unlikable character because she is vain, dissatisfied, and dishonest.

That is a thesis statement that states a main idea and supporting points. Now it is up to you to decide what your main idea is and how you will support it.

Once you do that, you can develop each point in the thesis statement into a body paragraph, with support from the story to help make your point. Give each body paragraph a topic sentence that lets the reader know what the point is from the thesis statement. That will help you to stay focused on that particular point. 

How can I write a thesis statement about an aspect of "The Necklace"?

A thesis statement is meant to state your main argument and the points you will use to support that argument.  There are many specific ideas you could write a thesis statement about for "The Necklace," and then you need to add your supporting points.  For example, one idea that the story supports is that the necklace is a symbol of not being satisfied with what one has in life. Another is that the story shows how dishonesty can ruin lives.  Still another idea is that "The Necklace" can be nicely compared and contrasted with the story of Cinderella. 

Once you settle on your particular idea, you will need to add your supporting points.  The idea that dishonesty can ruin lives might turn into a thesis statement like this:

In "The Necklace," Madame Loisel, her husband, and her friend are all dishonest in some way, and this leads the Loisels to years of backbreaking work and dishonor. 

Once you have your thesis statement, you can use it as an outline for the body paragraphs.  In my example above, I would have first a body paragraph about Madame Loisel's dishonesty, then a body paragraph about Monsieur Loisel's dishonesty, and finally a body paragraph about the friend's dishonesty.  In your conclusion, you will remind your reader what your thesis is and give the reader a brief review of your supporting points.  This is a great story to write about, with much meaning that you can share with your readers. 

What is a suitable thesis statement and opener for a paper on "The Necklace"?

One interesting element of the story is the irony of Mathilde Loisel's dynamism. She is a character who changes quite dramatically and in ways that we would likely not expect. Initially, "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that." But, then, after she loses her friend Madame Forestier's beautiful (though artificial) diamond necklace, rather than become more sullen and miserable, "She took her part [...] all on a sudden, with heroism." She knows that the horrifying debt she and her husband have taken on in order to replace the necklace has to be repaid, and "She would pay it."

Situational irony is created when what actually happens is the opposite of, or at least very different from, what we expected to happen. We would very likely expect Mathilde to descend into even further dejection as she and her husband are forced to move from their comfortable lodgings and into a cheaper apartment as well as give up their serving girl. Instead, she buckles down and works hard, facing the debt with "heroism." It is a remarkable surprise, and it seems to show that our perspective matters a good deal more than our circumstances. When Mathilde chooses to maintain a stiff upper lip and do what needs to be done, she seems to be more satisfied than she ever was when she had more by way of luxury and ease.

An interesting thesis, then, might argue that the irony of Mathilde Loisel's dynamic characterization shows that it is our perspective on our life, and not the circumstances of our life, that makes us happy or unhappy.

It would be characteristic of Maupassant to write a story in which he was expressing the idea that many people throw their lives away while chasing after meretricious things such as material possessions and the momentary pleasures of shining in the opinions of others. When Mathilde Loisel learns that the necklace was a fake, she realizes she has wasted a good part of her life for nothing but vanity. It is a tragic story. Her good-natured husband has suffered along with her. The story has resemblances to Flaubert's Madame Bovary, as well as to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and even Dreiser's An American Tragedy.

So throughout life our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise.
            Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

The title "The Necklace" might have a double meaning, since it can be thought of as an ornament as well as a chain worn around the neck.

I have to agree with #3. Perhaps a great opener might be to focus on the surprising way in which, in some senses, being forced into a life of poverty was one of the best things that ever happened to Mathilde Loisel. It certainly cured her of her worrying tendency to live in a dream world and forced her to accept reality.

If this were my assignment, I'd pursue the idea of the satisfied husband.  No matter what is set in front of him for dinner, he is appreciative.  When Mathilde is sullen about her lack of invitations, clothes, and jewels, he does what he can to make her happy.  When her actions drive them into poverty, he doesn't complain.  Mathilde is the one who changes, but it's her faithful husband who acts as her constant and a foil to his wife, Mathilde.

I always think that one of the most over looked ideas of this story is the transformation in the character of Mathilde. Her quest for status and material things led her to 10 years of scractchin, scrimping, and saving. This led her to lose those things in herself that she valued most--her youth and her looks. However, she gained much more in setting goals and achieving them. She met Mme. Forrester with pride when she told her about earning the money to pay for the replacement necklace.

The best thesis statements come from brainstorming answers to a carefully worded topic question.  Often, the assignment itself will provide this question (in the form of a prompt).  If you teacher has given you the assignment to simply "Write an essay on "The Necklace" without simply summarizing the short story," or something along those lines, the best place to start, in fiction, is with a theme.

There are several subjects in this short story which could be turned into theme statements (which could then become the thesis statement for an essay): class diferences/conflicts, appearance vs. reality, greed or discontentment, to name a few.  Below you will find a link to previous answers that guides you in how to turn a theme subject into a theme statement.  By following the steps for "The Necklace," you should be able to come up with a workable thesis statement for an analysis essay.  Then, for your "opener," or introduction, you will simply need a hook, your thesis statement, and the three categories which will become your three body paragraphs.