Final answer:
Mathilde's suffering as a poor woman is influenced by her material conditions and her subjective perception of poverty. The struggle is heightened by systemic issues faced by women in poverty, including the wage gap and single motherhood.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mathilde from "The Necklace" experiences suffering both as a woman of modest means and then later as a poor woman. While being poor, she endured the harsh realities of the working class, such as manual labor, financial insecurity, and social invisibility. Such an experience is an acute contrast to the comfortable but unfulfilled life she led before losing the necklace. However, her suffering may not solely be defined by her material conditions, as Mathilde's pride and longing for luxury contribute to her anguish. The notion of subjective poverty is evident in her story, where Mathilde's perception of poverty exacerbates her predicament; she feels acutely poor in part because of her aspirations and values.
Research shows that women tend to suffer more from poverty than men due to factors like the gender wage gap, the burden of single motherhood, and the lower-income generally associated with female-headed households ("the feminization of poverty"). Thus, while Mathilde's suffering may be intensified by her personal pride and desires, the systemic issues faced by women in poverty also add to her misery.