Reading “The Necklace”

Pages 333-342

As we read, you
should work on your
Characterization
Analysis worksheet.

Be sure to not only
identify the type of
characterization the
author uses, but also
to explain how you
know.
“The Necklace”
By Guy de Maupassant
Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist: main character, often
hero of the story

The protagonist of “The Necklace” is
Mathilde Loisel.


Notice how she isn’t really a hero or even a
likeable character, yet she is still a
protagonist because she is the MAIN
character.
Antagonist: character against the
protagonist, often villain of the story

The antagonist of “The Necklace” is
Mathilde’s greed and materialism.

Notice how the antagonist isn’t a person in
this story, but it is Mathilde’s own vices
(faults) that work against her.
Direct Characterization

Direct characterization: an author overtly
reveals a character’s personality by directly
telling you about him or her

In “The Necklace,” Mathilde is directly
characterized as a charming young woman:


“She was one of those pretty, charming
young women who are born, as if by an
error of Fate, into a petty official’s
family.”
At the end of the story, Mathilde is directly
characterized once again, but as a very
different kind of woman:

“Madame Loisel looked old now. She had
become the sort of strong woman, hard
and coarse, that one finds in poor
families.”
Indirect Characterization


Indirect characterization: textual clues
show a character’s motivation and
intent

In “The Necklace,” Mathilde is indirectly
characterized through her thoughts and
actions:

“She suffered constantly, feeling that all
of the attributes of a gracious life, every
luxury, should rightly have been hers.”

“She tried on the jewelry before the
mirror, hesitating, unable to bring
herself to take them off, to give them
back.”
Through indirect characterization methods, the narrator
reveals how unhappy Mathilde is and how materialistic she is.
Narrator

Narrator: the "voice"
that speaks or tells a
story

The narrator of “The
Necklace” is an
outsider—someone who
is not a character in
the story.
Mood

Mood: the atmosphere of a
literary work intended to evoke
a certain emotion or feeling
from the reader

The mood of “The Necklace”
shifts over the course of the
plot.

It starts off as annoyed/frustrated,
even judgmental.

It ends with pity and sympathy.
Tone

Tone: the attitude a writer
takes toward the reader, a
subject, or character.

The tone of “The Necklace”
is detached and
nonjudgmental.

Despite the fact that we as
readers may judge Mathilde
for her faults, de Maupassant
does not.
Alliteration


Alliteration: the
repetition of
consonant sounds in
words that are close
to one another,
typically occurs at
the beginning of
words
When Mathilde visualizes what she wishes her
dinners were like, the following examples of
alliteration are used:

“fairy forest”

“sphinx-like smiles”
Surprise Ending

Surprise ending: the
reader doesn’t expect the
ending, but it is still both
logical and believable.

The surprise ending of
“The Necklace” is that the
necklace is a fake, which
shocks both Mathilde and
the reader.

However, as shocking as
this is, it is believable and
possible.