The Necklace

Guy de Maupassant
 setting
• The Loisel’s apartment in the Rue des Martyrs,
in Paris, France.
• The apartment is shabby (worn out) and dull.
“She grieved over the shabbiness of her apartment, the
dinginess of the walls, the worn-out appearance of the chairs,
the ugliness of the draperies.”

SETTING  symbolical and conveys irony

 setting
Minor settings:
• Mme. Forestier’s house – “a large closet (=wardrobe)
with mirrored doors”
• The Ministerial Mansion where the ball is
held.

Setting of time:
Begins in January
Time span: 10 years
 plot
• EXPOSITION: introducing Mme. Loisel in her
apartment as she is described as extremely
unhappy and dissatisfied with her social status
• KICK-OFF: Mme. Loisel receives an invitation to
the party, brought by M. Loisel.
• RISING ACTION: Mathilde refuses to attend the
party without a suitable dress/Loisel gives
money/doesn’t have jewellery/borrows a
necklace/loses it/borrows money to buy a new
one/lives in poverty to pay debt.
• CLIMAX: 10 years later relieved of the debt
Mme. L. confesses all to Mme. Forestier who
reveals that the necklace is fake.
 conflicts
Internal –
• Mme. Loisel vs. herself: her excessive pride,
materialism and shallowness cause her
emotional suffering as she feels she’s been
deprived of luxuries.
External –
• Mme. Loisel vs. M. Loisel’s different values
(although he is tolerant of her behavior and wants to
please her)
Character: Mathilde Loisel
pretty,
Unhappy, charming A complex
unable to and
accept her life dynamic
condition;
Daydreamed
character

Mathilde. 10 years later:

Loisel Hard-working --doing
Married to a heavy housework,
minor clerk, M. changed perception
Loisel; Dressed like a peasant
Middle class Aged quickly, heavy,
rough, harsh, hair
Selfish, Spoiled,
untended, skirt askew
never does the
housework
Character: M. Loisel
A clerk for Ministry
of Education ;
Middle class

Kind, generous, loyal,

Married hard-working,
to Loisel unselfish, patient,
loving; wants to
Mathilde
please his wife

Static
 Irony
Dramatic irony:
• Mme. L borrows a necklace to fit in with the
rich people she envies, but the loss of the
necklace results in her being poorer than she
was.
• Mme. and M. Loisel work hard for 10 years for
a fake diamond necklace.
 Point of view

• The story is told from the 3rd person

limited point of view, focuses mostly on
Mme. Loisel’s thoughts and feelings.
• If a first person is used, the effect might
be different, especially if the narrator is
Mms. Loisel.
 Symbolism
The necklace symbolizes wealth and high social status.
The fake necklace symbolizes
• desire for what one cannot have, Mme. L’s ‘fakeness’
and want of material things.
• the short glamorous appearance of Mme. Loisel during
the ball that is fake, like the necklace
• appearance can be deceiving

Do you find any other symbols?

Rues de Martyrs, the drab carriage, ..
 Theme
In your opinion, what is the theme the author
intends to convey?
1. People should be happy with what they have.
2. People may pay a terrible price for greed
(Mme. L’s fatal flaw, her greed for material
things, her ‘fakeness’ just like the necklace)
 Questions for discussion
Characters
1. “She grieved incessantly, feeling that she had
been born for all the little niceties and luxuries
of living ..”
How does this statement describe Mathilde’s
personality, feeling and dreams ?
2. What does the diamond necklace mean to
Mathilde for her self-image?
3. How is Mr. Loisel’s perception about clothing
different from Mathilde’s? How do the
differences show their personalities?
4. Is Mathilde a dynamic or static character?
Provide explanation to your answer.
 Questions for discussion
Conflicts
5. Identify the major conflicts in the story.
Think about the internal and external conflicts
and how the character traits give rationale to
the conflicts that happen.