'The Necklace' [Title]

Ideas

From the outset, the writer is suggesting that wealth dominates society and perhaps traps people in
their positions in society.

How short the title is could suggest how focused society is on materialistic attitudes.

Language

Noun 'necklace' - could symbolise wealth and materialism

Could suggest entrapment of women in society, lack of freedom?

Definite article 'the' - specific, shows that the necklace is more significant than 'a' would. Defined the
lives of the characters in the story

Structure

Title - mentioning the necklace in the title reinforces its significance in the story - and perhaps the
dominance of wealth in society

'She had no dowry, no expectations, no means of meeting some rich, important man...'

Ideas:

Madame Loisel feels that she has very little.

The writer is suggesting that men need to be wealthy in order to be important in society - but he later
suggests that a woman's place in society is not as determined by wealth.
A little misogynistic - suggesting that women only care about superficial values

Language

Adjective 'no' - suggests her life is lacking, hopelessness

Phrase 'rich, important' - mentioning the two together suggests that wealth and social importance are
highly interlinked

Structure

Repetition of 'no' - hopelessness, suggests Madame Loisel feels she has very little

Asyndetic list - suggests endless lacking

'So she went along with a proposal made by a junior clerk in the Ministry of Education.'

Ideas:

Women have little control over who they are married to, or at least accept the situation as being out of
their control.

Passiveness of women in society

Language

Verb phrase 'went along with' - unenthusiasm on the part of Madame Loisel, her acceptance of the
situation
Adjective 'junior' - not much detail is given about him, but we are told that he is a 'junior' clerk - again,
reinforcing the aforementioned idea that social status was highly significant at the time

Structure

Simple sentence - shows that she has little love for him, or enthusiasm for the marriage, creates a flat
feeling

Contrast: juxtaposes with the longer sentence just before, suggests that Loisel is a shortfall in her
expectations

'Women have neither rank nor class, and their beauty, grace and charm do service for birthright and
connections... [and determines] their place in their hierarchy.'

Ideas:

The author is suggesting that society only views women superficially. He may be representing Mathilde's
view here, as well as his own - but his negative portrayal of Madame Loisel would imply that he
disagrees with this view.

Maupassant is presenting social norms as being restrictive and unfair.

Language

Words within the semantic field of superficiality: suggests that the value of women lies largely in their
appearance, women as showpieces in society

Noun 'hierarchy' - strict order of importance in society, perhaps with negative connotations of
restrictiveness

Noun 'birthright' - means the natural rights that someone has (see STRUCTURE for importance of its use
here)
Structure

Juxtaposition: the superficial qualities are described as being linked to 'birthright', creating a strong
sense of incongruity and inherent unfairness

Readers question why something like appearance should determine a person's place in society - society
as misogynistic?

'The spectacle of the young Breton peasant girl who did the household chores stirred sad regrets and
impossible fancies.'

Ideas:

Madame Loisel (who is representative of women in society) is evidently - at least some of the time -
making a fuss about nothing.

Her dreams are ridiculous and so she will never be satisfied.

The writer undermines her complaints and seems generally critical of women in society as a result.

Language

Noun phrase 'peasant girl' - suggests Mathilde looks down on their maid a lot, and again reinforces the
defining nature of class in society

Sibilance 'stirred sad' - sadness and despair

Adjective 'impossible' - suggests Mathilde will never be satisfied because her dreams are unachievable

Noun 'fancies' - reinforces idea that her dreams are ridiculous

Structure

Contrast: Mathilde had previously been described as living in poverty. Now we learn that she has a
servant, showing that her complaints are unjustified.

Dry, slightly misogynistic, humour?

'She dreamed of great drawing-rooms dressed with old silk, filled with fine furniture which showed off
trinkets beyond price, and of pretty little parlours, filled with...' [Note that the list goes on and on, but
this is some of it]

Ideas:

Mathilde's desire is stupidly excessive and her materialism is insatiable.

Society as a whole is consumed by greed and materialism, especially women.

Language

Verb 'dreamed' - implies that what she desires is unachievable, creating the impression that she will
never have enough nor be satisfied

Not grounded in reality like her husband Loisel

Verb 'filled' - obsession with quantity

Noun 'trinket' - her obsession with them is clear from context, but the word itself highlights to us that it
is merely an unimportant frippery
Phrase 'beyond price' - obsession with expensive items

Structure

Repetition / anaphora of 'dreamed' - unending dreams and desire, desire as insatiable

Repetition of 'filled' - reinforces unending desire, spirals on and on

Juxtaposition: of images of wealth here and of poverty described earlier 'battered chairs, ugly curtains' -
great dissatisfaction and gap between what she has and what she wants

Contrast between the longer sentences describing her desired wealth and the shorter ones describing
what she has; suggests she feels her life is lacking

'...one's closest friends who would be the most famous and sought-after men of the day whose
attentions were much coveted and desired by all women.'

Ideas

The writer is suggesting through this that the value of women lies in that of men.

Language

Superlative 'most' - wants to be the best in all of society, author is hinting at the competitive nature of
people and women in particular

Noun Phrase 'sought-after men' - suggests that the value of women lies in their connections and in men

Structure
Absence of punctuation: there should (I believe) be commas in this and the preceding body of text, but
Mrs Loisel seems never to pause for breath, suggesting that she is forgetting reality in these daydreams.

'[Her husband] declared delightedly: "Ah! Stew! Splendid! There's nothing I like better than a nice
stew...."'

Ideas

Mr Loisel and the men in society that he represents are much more practical than women.

They are grounded in reality and satisfied, suggesting that materialism is damaging to people and
society; it makes them unhappy and dissatisfied.

Language

Adverbial Phrase 'declared delightedly' - satisfaction, evident pleasure, plosive 'd' consonant shows
grounding in reality, compared to quiet and bubbling sound of Mathilde's whimsies

Exclamations: reinforce his pleasure

Noun 'stew' - nutritious, wholesome, filling, practical - shows practicality and well-rounded husband,
who is clearly happy

Structure

Short remarks / one-word sentences: simplicity of husband's view; pleasure and satisfaction taken from
an attitude untainted by materialism

Contrast: difference between his satisfaction with simple pleasures and his wife's excessive desires that
make her unhappy
'Sometimes, for days on end, she would weep tears of sorrow, regret, despair and anguish.'

Ideas:

Mathilde is a very dramatic woman, who is drawing criticism from readers.

Language

Time Phrase 'for days on end' - excessive, dramatic, childish behaviour; draws criticism from readers

Verb 'weep' - dramatic, vehement emotion

Noun 'anguish' - connotes physical pain. Could suggest that materialism has the power to hurt people,
but it also makes Mathilde (and women) look over-dramatic and over-sensitive

Structure

'She tore the paper flap eagerly'

'She tossed the invitation peevishly'

Ideas:

Madame Loisel is behaving like a child, drawing criticism from readers. The writer is criticising women.

At the time (1884) emphasis was placed on careful and controlled rather than outspoken behaviour.
Therefore this attitude might be more shocking for readers at the time and we should be aware of this

Language
Verb 'tore' - connotes carelessness and flippancy, lack of self-control, draws criticism

Verb 'tossed' - petty, pathetic, childish reaction, again drawing criticism. There would be high
expectations of introvert behaviour at the time - writer is suggesting that women are ignorant of others'
hard work

Adverbs 'eagerly' and 'peevishly' - show extreme emotions, again contrasting with social norms at the
time

Structure

Contrast: her behaviour quickly changes from ecstatic to irritable. The quick fluctuations also make her
seem childlike

'But, darling, I thought you'd be happy. ... I had the dickens of a job getting hold of an invite. ... You'll be
able to see all the big nobs there.'

Ideas

Loisel is being very patient with his exasperating wife, drawing sympathy from readers.

He also uses more informalities, showing that he is clearly less posh.

Language

Endearment 'darling' - enduring affection and indulgence despite her attitude, working hard for her

Informality 'dickens of a job' - using more informal phrases than his posh wife, suggests an incongruity
between them - also shows he is working hard to keep her happy
Informality 'big nobs' - reiterates the contrast between them, perhaps suggests he is treating his wife
like a child

Structure

Subordinate clause 'darling' - suggests he dropped it in to make her listen and be more receptive; like a
spoilt child

'"...I daresay I could get by on four hundred francs."'

Ideas

Mathilde is impractical and greedy, does not have the same sense of being careful with finances that her
husband is described to have shortly beforehand.

Writer suggesting that women are more careless with money, slightly misogynistic attitude?

Language

Phrase 'get by' - little sense of normal finance, she actually wants more

Mathilde as naïve and ignorant

Sum 'four hundred francs' - excessive, greedy and impractical

Structure

'He turned slightly pale, for he had been setting aside just that amount to buy a gun and finance hunting
trips... with a few friends who went shooting larks there on Sundays. But he said: 'Very well. I'll give you
your four hundred francs..."'
Ideas

The husband is portrayed as being selfless in the respect that he lends his wife the money, albeit
reluctantly. However, he seems to be being equally wasteful with his money in some ways!

Language (CONTINUED OVERLEAF)

Adjective 'pale' - suggests that greed and materialism can be physically damaging

Adverb 'slightly' - trying to remain looking unruffled and indulgent

Phrase 'setting aside' - sensible, prudent, careful with money

Noun phrase 'hunting trips': traditional patriarchal society, with men as providers

Phrase 'shooting larks on Sundays' - writer is presenting him as believing himself to be benevolent and
kind - but in reality his spending is not exactly justified either. Sunday would be the holy day, not for
killing

Language (CONTINUED)

Phrase 'I'll give you' - men as being in control of money, typical patriarchy, men as having conventional
power

STRUCTURE

Long sentence 'He turned...on Sundays' - could suggest that he spends somewhat excessively too?
Foreshadowing: Loisel's constant caring attitude towards his wife will ultimately be damaging - writer
suggesting women should be kept in their place?

'Madame Loisel appeared sad, worried, anxious'

Ideas

Madame Loisel, with her materialistic attitudes, and so society which she represents, will never be
satisfied

Language

Structure

Asyndeton 'sad, worried, anxious' - seemingly endless melodramatic emotions, unreasonable

'Madame Forestier went over to a mirror-fronted wardrobe, took out a large casket, brought it over,
unlocked it and said to Madame Loisel: "Choose whatever you like."'

Ideas:

All women in society are obsessed with beauty and appearance, and are vain.

Madame Forestier, however, seems to have a more casual attitude towards wealth and is less
materialistic.

Impression is that having wealth makes one less obsessed with it and less materialistic - having it does
not seem to be life-changing

Language

Adjective 'mirror-fronted' - suggests she also exhibits vanity, although her flippancy towards wealth
suggests she is less materialistic
Noun Phrase 'large casket' - excessive wealth, but does not display it as Mathilde dreamed about - again,
suggests having wealth is not as good as it seems

Structure

Complex sentence: suggests Madame Loisel was waiting excitedly as she slowly brought over the box
and began to open it, anticipation

Short sentence / direct speech: flippancy towards wealth, reinforces how she is less caring towards it;
the direct speech tells us this is exactly what she said

Foreshadowing: her lack of care towards her items foreshadows that they are not actually worth that
much

Wealth as being an illusion

'...her heart began to beat with immoderate desire.'

Ideas:

Her materialism is excessive. She is becoming emotional over a necklace.

Language

Noun 'heart' - suggests she is in love with the necklace, again showing the extent of her materialism

Noun phrase 'immoderate desire' - not sensible or restrained

Structure

?
'She threw her arms around her friend, kissed her extravagantly, and then ran home, taking her treasure
with her.'

Ideas:

The writer is drawing attention to the fact that while she did not seem to show her indulgent, hard-
working husband any gratitude and love, she is getting excited about her new necklace. For her, love is
determined by a materialistic object.

Language

Verb 'threw' - lack of control, excitement, child-like again

Irony, Verb 'kissed' - mentioning love and jewellery together suggests that for her the two are
interconnected

Verb 'ran' - excitement, tumultuous emotions, like a child

Metaphor 'treasure' - value, long-sought-after, as though she is playing a childish game

Structure

Complex sentence: excitement and fast train of thought

'The day of the reception arrived. Madame Loisel was a success.'

Ideas

Madame Loisel finally got what she wanted.

Materialism comes at a great cost but with little reward.

Language

Noun 'success' - somewhat de-humanises her, suggests women are showpieces in society designed to be
shown off

Structure

Short sentences: success and happiness only short-lived, materialism not really worth it

All the endeavours were for a little reward

Lack of real importance

Contrast: these short sentence lengths contrast with the longer ones and the length she went to to get
this small thing she wanted so badly

'She danced ecstatically, wildly, intoxicated with pleasure...'

Ideas:

Mathilde is enjoying herself far too much, and is not in control of her emotions.

Language

Adverb 'wildly' - unrestrained, not in control, negatively used

Adjective 'intoxicated' - suggest that she is so happy she starts to get silly and unrestrained. Childlike and
drawing of criticism and negative attention
Suggests that women are frivolous

Could also give the impression that materialistic attitudes, although indulging, are damaging

Structure

Complex sentence: This is only the beginning of a paragraph long sentence, which as a whole shows her
uncontrollable and high rush of excitement and emotions.

'She left at about four in the morning. Since midnight her husband had been dozing in a small, empty
side-room with three other men whose wives were having an enjoyable time.'

Ideas:

Writer generalising, suggesting women in general are vain and frivolous, but men distance themselves
from this.

The behaviour of Loisel is a bit like that of a parent whose child is it at a party (but this is more of a
modern reader's view!)

Language

Time Phrase 'four in the morning' - excessive, ridiculous, frivolousness compared to moderateness of
husband (until midnight)

Verb 'dozing' - suggests uninterest on his part, only on part of women - could also show he's tired of her
behaviour

Phrase 'three other men' - generalising, suggests many women are like Mathilde Loisel, reinforced by
the noun 'wives'
Phrase 'enjoyable time' - euphemism for what has actually been happening. Maupassant is being
sarcastic here

Structure

'He helped her on with her coat which he had fetched when it was time to go, a modest, everyday,
commonplace coat violently at odds with the elegance of her dress.'

Ideas:

Mathilde Loisel's glamour was only short-lived, symbolising how materialism is not very rewarding.

The coats symbolise superficiality and suggests that superficial things can protect people. However, we
cannot see what is underneath.

Language

Verbs 'helped', 'fetched' - dependency of women on men for everything, doing her bidding

Noun 'coat' - superficiality, Mathilde's obsession with appearances and materialistic concerns

Words within semantic field of normality: suggests she is being brought back down to earth

Structure

Listing of qualities of coat: suggests the blows of shock she felt on seeing it again

Words within semantic field of normality: suggest that her fun is over, nothing has really changed and
the glamour was short-lived; shows materialism reaps little reward
Contrast of dress with coat: images of wealth as deceptive

'The other women... were being arrayed in rich furs. But Loisel grabbed her by the arm: "Wait a sec.
You'll catch cold outside."'

Ideas:

Suggests that the outside world is full of hardship and harshness, suggests that reality beyond the world
of the party is harsh - could also foreshadow loss of necklace and comfort

Women are objectified here too; the writer is suggesting perhaps that they are showpieces in society

Language

Verb 'arrayed' - objectifies the women, powerless in society, doll-like, women are passive in sentence

Phrase 'catch cold outside' - suggests that the real world outside is harsh and full of hardships for many
people, reinforces sense of disparity created through the image of the rich furs vs common coat

Plosive alliteration intensifies effect

Structure

Contrast 'rich furs' vs 'commonplace coat' - shows inequality and incongruity throughout society,
perhaps suggests unfairness; harsh alliteration in 'commonplace coat' might reinforce this

'They walked down to the Seine in desperation, shivering with cold. There...[they] found one of those
aged nocturnal hackney cabs which only emerge in Paris after dusk, as if ashamed to parade their
poverty in the full light of day.'

Ideas:
Society turns a blind eye to poverty, pretending not to see it, and shames it.

Language

Pronoun 'they' - suggests Mr and Mrs Loisel are somewhat united by their shared problem; they will
both bear the consequences of Mathilde's actions

Phrase 'shivering with cold' - foreshadows their descent into poverty, physical impact of poverty

Verb 'ashamed' - symbolise Mathilde's desire to hide her poverty, suggests society represses those
experiencing hardships; harsh alliteration 'parade their poverty' reinforces

Phrase 'full light of day' - suggests that people try to ignore poverty and maybe pretend not to see it,
critical of society

Structure

Phrase 'shivering with cold' - foreshadows their descent into poverty, physical impact of poverty

'Finally Loisel got dressed again. ... He went out. She remained as she was, still wearing her evening
gown, not having the strength to go to bed, sitting disconsolately on a chair by the empty grate, her
mind a blank.'

Ideas:

Again, the writer is suggesting that women only have superficial thoughts and cannot be useful.

Loisel's action vs Mathilde's inactivity is suggested recurringly in the next body of text.

Language
Adverb 'still' - highlights her inactivity

Noun phrase 'empty grate' - symbolises her mind and lack of thoughts, reiterated in phrase 'mind a
blank'

Verb 'sitting' - inactivity, not trying to help

Structure

Contrast 'not having the strength to go to bed' - creates irony, perhaps implying that women are weak,
misogynistic

Contrast (sentence lengths) - short sentence describe Loisel's behaviour, showing his clarity, certainty
and practicality

Longer sentences emphasise Mathilde's uncertainty, inability

'She wrote to his dictation.'

Ideas:

Women are controlled by men in society.

Could suggest unfairness, but the general misogyny of the text makes it more likely it is presenting
women as unable to think for themselves

Language
Noun 'dictation' - control over women in society, emphasises her inability, passiveness, men dealing
with problems

Structure

Short sentence: little freedoms of women in society perhaps, reinforces limited abilities without help or
instruction

'In a shop... they found a diamond collar which they thought was identical to the one they were looking
for. It cost forty thousand francs. The jeweller was prepared to let them have it for thirty-six.'

Ideas:

The writer is foreshadowing Mathilde and Loisel's mistake through the uncertainty of the verb 'thought'.
He is also emphasising how crazy the price is through the short sentence.

Language

Verb 'thought' - difference between perception and reality, foreshadows the mistake they make here

Price 'forty thousand francs' - large amount shocks readers and creates apprehension for what
extremities are to come

Structure

Simple sentences - fragmented memories, their inability to comprehend the situation

Contrast 'forty thousand' vs 'four hundred' - we remember Loisel's reaction to his wife's demand for 400
hundred francs, evokes apprehension in readers
'...the grim poverty which stood ready to pounce'

Ideas:

Language

Zoomorphism: poverty is predatory and dangerous, builds trepidation

Alliteration: the plosive aspect of it sounds harsh

Structure

Complex Sentence: the sentence is very long, showing the immense consequences on Loisel, extensive
ruin

Implies that materialism is damaging to society

'Then began for Madame Loisel the grindingly horrible life of the very poor. But quickly and heroically,
she resigned herself to what she could not alter: their appalling debt would have to be repaid.'

Ideas:

Being forced to adopt a new position and face her problems, Mathilde actually steps up determinedly to
the challenge.

Problems change her for the better

Language

Adverb 'grindingly' - hard 'g' sound shows harshness of lives of the poor
It is said through gritted teeth, physically demonstrating her determination

Adverb 'heroically' - implies that problems changed Madame Loisel for the better, positive adverb, could
also ridicule her image of herself though?

Verb 'resigned' - despair, loss of all hope

Structure

Paragraph starter 'then began' - ominous, daunting, new beginning, foreshadows negative events (the
hardships she will experience)

Clause at end of sentence: consequences of her actions as unavoidable

'Madame Loisel looked old now. She had turned into the battling, hard, uncouth housewife who rules
working-class homes.'

Ideas

The writer is demonstrating the physical impact of poverty and its incongruity with her former
femininity to highlight the unfairness in society.

Language

Adjective 'old' - physical impact of poverty, exhausting lives of poor

Definite article 'the' - almost suggests that these people are like specimens and that the poor are viewed
collectively - again, injustice in society clear
Phrase 'rules working-class homes' - suggests women have little power in society, except what they can
exert domestically

Structure

Listing: like blows dealt to her life, harshness of her new reality

Contrast: words within semantic field of age, labour or masculinity contrast with the words denoting
femininity before; suggests poverty hardened her and made her less beautiful, although perhaps more
honest and wiser

'It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, and still attractive.'

Ideas

Wealth is protective and maintains superficial qualities, but the poor have more integrity

Language

Words within semantic field of beauty and youth: contrasts to Mathilde now, even after 10 years still
has not aged

Word 'still' - continuity, lack of change, suggests wealth is protective and galvanising

Structure

Repetition of 'still' - ongoing, reinforces sense of continuity

'Madame Loisel felt apprehensive. Should she speak to her? Yes, why not? Now that she had paid in full,
she would tell her everything.'

Ideas

Mathilde is now a far more honest, careful and less bold woman than before.

Language

Adjective 'apprehensive' - more careful than before, contrasts with her previous boldness

Phrase 'tell her everything' - honest, hiding nothing, again different from before

Structure

Questions - uncertainty, cautiousness, again less bold than before

'...I'm glad.'

Ideas:

After all this time, we see a very important change: Mathilde is no longer materialistic; she is finally
content with something. She has become more grateful for what she has.

Language

Adjective 'glad' - finally happy and content

Marks a significant change in the protagonist

Structure

Short sentence it's in: simple, content, enough

'"It was only an imitation necklace. It couldn't have been worth much more than five hundred francs!..."'

Ideas:

Deceptive nature of materialism and the superficiality of wealth and beauty is emphasised here

Irony that money couldn't buy beauty after all

Such things are, at their core, hollow and worthless

Language

Phrase 'imitation necklace' - represents and demonstrates the deceptive nature of materialism, and the
superficiality of wealth

Wealth as being an illusion; anyone could buy a 500-franc necklace and pass themselves off as upper-
class, like Mathilde did - deceptive nature of wealth and materialism

Number 'five hundred francs' - creates irony, because money couldn't buy beauty in the end - again,
reinforces idea of wealth as an illusion