Author’s Background:

Guy de Maupassant

Henri Ren Albert Guy de Maupassant (Aug 5, 1850 - Jul 6, 1893) was a

popular French author who wrote under the pen name Guy de Maupassant.
He is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story as well as one
of its finest practitioners. His prolific and deeply admired body of work
influenced a great number of writers including William Somerset
Maugham, O. Henry, Anton Chekhov, Kate Chopin and Henry James.

He was a popular writer during his lifetime and had the good fortune to see
that his stories were widely read.

His most famous work for English readers is probably “The Necklace”.

UNLOCKING WORDS

1. Necklace- an ornamental chain or string of beads, jewels, or links worn around

the neck. It is beautiful but worthless, represents the power of perception and
reality.

2. Indigenous- refers to the notion of a place based human ethnic culture that has
not migrated from its homeland, and is not a settler or colonial population.

3. Diamond- a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless crystalline form of

pure carbon, the hardest naturally occurring substance.

4. Strammered- identifying word or words by which someone or something is called

and classified or distinguished from others.

5. Astonished- greatly surprised or impressed; amazed.

6. Impoverished- (of a person or area) made poor or with diminished quality of life.

7. Uttered – make a sound with one’s voice.

8. Horrible- marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or a
version. Very unpleasant.

9. Impertinence- lack of respect; rudeness.

10. Dreadful- causing great and oppressive fear a dreadful attack.

11. Whither- to what place or state.

12. Intoxicated- feeling excited, happy and slightly out of control.

13. Frowsy- scruffy and neglected in appearance.

14. Bewildered- perplexed and confused ; very puzzled.

15. Overwhelmed- to affect (someone) very strongly.

CHARACTERS

Mathilde Loisel
The protagonist of the story. A beautiful woman who years for a life of luxery
and wealth. She is selfish, aged quickly, heavy rough, harsh, spoiled.

Monsieur Loisel
Mathilde's devoted husband who is content with his humble lifestyle. He is
kind, generous, loyal hard-working, clerk for Ministry of Education,wants to
please his wife.

Madame Forestier
Mathilde’s wealthy friend. Madame Forestier treats Mathilde kindly, but
Mathilde is bitterly jealous of Madame Forestier’s wealth, and the kindness
pains her. Madame Forestier lends Mathilde the necklace for the party and
does not

George Ramponneau and Madame George Ramponneau

George Ramponneau is the Minister of Public Instruction, a superior of
Monsieur Loisel. This married couple throws the party that the Loisels
attend.
 QUESTIONS (STORY ANALYSIS)

What does the necklace symbolize in the story?

The necklace symbolizes the wealth and status that Mathilde longs for but
cannot attain. It is beautiful but worthless, represents the power of
perception and the split between appearances and reality.The coat that her
husband gives her at the end of the party symbolizes their current life, which
Mathilde hates, and the mediocre social status she wants to escape from.

What is the setting for the necklace?

 1884 Paris,France Loisel’s apartment, party at the Ministry of

Education’s Mansion
What are the characteristics of Mathilde Loisel?

 Three character traits that Madame Loisel possesses that are easily

apparent when reading the short story "The Necklace" is she is
ungrateful, selfish, and greedy. No matter what her poor, loving
husband does for her to satisfy her and make her happy, it just is
never enough and she always wants more.

What are the literary devices?

 Symbolism- the fake necklace. It symbolized Madame Loisel’s Luxury
life as being fake because she was really poor and borrowed the fake
necklace from Madame Forestier.
 Metaphor- the necklace in this story is a metaphor for Mathilde’s pride.
Mathilde refused to go to the ball unless she had a necklace and dress
worthy of her high opinion of herself. This is why she borrowed a
necklace from her friend.
 Hyperbole- An example of a hyperbole would be when madame Loisel
explains that she bought a new necklace,”You can imagine that wasn’t
easy for us who had nothing”(Maupassant 665). This is a hyperbole
because she obviously didn’t have nothing especially because she
bought a new, real, diamond necklace.
 Imagery- Imagery is description using any of the five senses of sight,
sound, taste, touch, and smell. Much, though not all, of the imagery in
this story is visual, showing Mrs. Loisel’s obsession with appearances.
 Simile- he simile is, “dressed like a commoner.” Comparing Mathilde’s
clothes to those of a commoner helps to emphasize how much poorer
Mathilde has become, and how that poverty is now reflected in her
physical appearance.
  Personification- One is in the very first sentence of the story when the
narrator tells us that fate blundered Mathilde’s life. Another example is
when the furniture and curtains in Mathilde’s house are described as
tormenting and insulting her.
 Alliteration- In “The Necklace,” two examples of alliteration include “humble
house-work” and “dreadful debt.”

What does Mathilde want most?

 Mathilde Loisel wants to be a glamour girl. She's obsessed with fancy,

beautiful, expensive things, and the life that accompanies them.
Unfortunately for her, she wasn't born into a family with the money to
make her dream possible.

What is the rising action in the story?

 The rising action of The Necklace starts with an invitation. One day,

Monsieur Loisel brings home an invitation to a ball hosted by his boss.
He worked hard to obtain it and thought that his wife would be
satisfied. However, Madame Loisel got upset with the fact she had
nothing to wear. She asked her husband for 400 francs, and he
hesitantly gave them to her. Yet, it wasn’t enough, and Mathilde threw
another fit because she had no jewelry. Monsieur Loisel suggested she
went to see Madame Forestier, who could kindly lend something.
Mathilde chooses to borrow a gorgeous diamond necklace. She feels
better from just looking at herself in the mirror with the jewels on her
neck.
What is the main conflict in the necklace?

 In "The Necklace," the internal conflict lies in the fact that Madame

Loisel is embarrassed by her poverty. Even though she is physically
beautiful, and married to an understanding husband, she believes that
the key to her happiness lies in expensive necklaces, balls and the
luxuries that comes with to being rich.

What is the climax in the necklace?

 The climax of "The Necklace" occurs, according to the first definition,

when Mathilde discovers that she has lost the necklace. According to
the second definition, the climax occurs at the end of the story, when
Madame Forestier informs Mathilde that the lost necklace.

How does Mathilde change in the necklace?

  - Madame Loisel changes into a humble, industrious woman, who no
longer dreams about being rich and works hard for everything she
earns. After losing the necklace , Madame Loisel sacrifices her
comfortable lifestyle and loses her entitled attitude.

What is the main theme of the necklace?

 One of the central themes of "The Necklace" is that of appearance vs.

reality. For Mathilde, the necklace symbolizes wealth, beauty, and,
ultimately, shame, as she loses the necklace and goes into debt to
replace it. The great irony of the story is that the necklace was a fake.

What is the irony in the necklace?

 The Necklace's Worth (Dramatic Irony)
 The main irony in the story is that the Loisels take on tremendous debt
in order to replace an apparently expensive necklace that was actually
a cheap imitation.

What is the lesson of the necklace?

 I would say that the moral lesson of "The Necklace " is that deception
is often a mistake which has bad results for the deceiver. Mathilde
wishes to deceive the people attending the ball by making them think
she has a higher social status than is actually the case. The
borrowed necklace helps her to do this.
 Other lessons are “We should not judge people on appearances
because they may appear to be rich and successful and they may not
be” and “We should not pine after material possessions but we realize
we are lucky what we have. We should be grateful for what we have
rather than constantly seeking to acquire more.

Why is the necklace a good story?

- The necklace is a good story because it shows the danger in the pursuit of
material possessions. Also, the story entertains, persuade, inform and teach
us to not allow pride to get in the way of doing what is right.