The Necklace
GUY DE MAUPASSANT
Monetary Position
● “She was one of those pretty, charming young women...born into a
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wage-earning family” – Shows that many other women were in the same
situation as her; to us she is just an example representing them.
“No dowry, no prospects, no opportunities” – the repetition of ‘no’
emphasises that she has no meaning in life, even though she is
appealing.
She lived a middleclass life, her tastes were simple but “ anything else
having been out of the question”. Gives you an idea about how
demanding she was.
“Had no evening dresses, no jewels, nothing” to her she needs to have
these possessions in order to have ‘something’. But in actuality she has
things needed to live a normal life as “A fully furnished flat”
She wanted many thing such as being “ envied, despair, and anguish”
shows that she isn’t exactly thankful for what she already has.
She had one rich friend but after when she visited, “She would weep
whole days, with grief, regret, despair, and misery.” Shows how serious
she finds it, these feelings are like a volcano, which erupts with
emotional outbreaks.
Loisel’s Residence
▪ Had “squalid wallpapers”, its “shabby chairs” and
“Hideous curtains”. The adjectives used here by the
writer makes the reader feel as if she were being
castigated. But in fact they might have been like any
other flat for “another woman with a similar
background”
▪ Her flat is found as a “source of torment for her” whilst
for “Another woman.. might have not even noticed” but
for her it was “Unendurable and degrading”. Through
this we see that Loisel is a spoiled brat.
▪ Loisel’s imaginary flat is in much contrast to her orignal
one. As it has “antique silks” and “footmen... In deep
armchairs. This helps to illustrate how much of a
messed up person she really is.
The Party
▪ Her appearance made everyone “try hard” to get themselves introduced
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to her – shows that her beauty was overwhelming.
Madame Loisel also had a pleasurable time – as the phrase "Danced
Madly” suggests so.
Her beauty was so striking that even “The minister noticed her”
She is described as the most beautiful woman at the party, effective
adjectives are used to portray her: “elegant, graceful, smiling, and wildly
happy.”
After the party they catch an “ancient nocturnal cab” and reach home.
Then they find out that the necklace is lost. “The necklace was no longer
round her neck.”
Their intense fear is portrayed by: “She turned to him in a panic:
“I’ve...I’ve... not got Madam Forestier’s necklace!” and “Distractedly, he
jumped to his feet.” “But...that’s not possible!” He exclaimed.”
Relationship with her husband
▪ The husband compliments her cooking as “Ah! Vegetable soup; What
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could be better?” – he is trying to cheer her up, to make her feel pleased.
“Instead of being delighted, as her husband had expected” – demonstrates
to the reader that he can’t predict her due to constant change in emotions.
“She threw the card on the table” - Has no sense of respect to the man
who works hard to bring food to her Table covered in a “three-day-old”
cloth.
“Had the greatest difficulty in getting the invitation” – illustrates that he
works hard in order to make his wife happy.
“And how to do you expect me to dress..smart...?” Brings in a rude tone
towards her husband, reinforces the fact that she has no high reverence
for him.
The husband then had to sacrifice money which was used to “Treat
himself with a few outings..with a few friends” – expresses how he
sacrificed his form of entertainment for hers.
He then says “Right, you can have your dress” – articulates that he can’t
bare to deny her, as her obvious reaction would be to weep.
The husband offers helpful suggestions but from time-to-time “she was
not to be convinced” – expresses that her thoughts are always founded by
her deaf ears.
Mathilde Loisel
▪ She is the central character in the passage.
▪ She is young, pretty and talented, but she is very
unhappy. The reasons are:
▪ Her father had to do hard labour for a living. She is
from a humble background, so she has no
possibility of marrying “a rich and distinguished
man”.
▪ She “drifts” into marriage with a junior clerk. This
makes her feel degraded. As if she has “come down
in the world”.
M. Loisel (Her Husband)
▪ He is not developed upon much in the story, but from
the limited information given, we can say that:
▪ He seems to be a loving, caring and generous husband.
He goes to great lengths to get the invitation to the ball.
He says: “Ah! Vegetable soup; what could be better than
that!”. This shows that he supports his wife’s decisions
and appreciates her cooking.
▪ He even sleeps in a separate room while his wife enjoys
the dance.
▪ He never criticizes his wife, even when they both have to
face problems when the necklace is lost. Instead, he
works hard with her to pay for the new necklace.
Mme Forestier
● She is Mathilde’s friend.
● She is not described in great detail.
● She shows some kindness as she lends Mathilde the
necklace, but she doesn’t tell her that it is a fake. To
add to this, she is quite sharp when it is returned
late.
The Loss of The Necklace
The effect that the loss of the necklace had on
Madame Loisel is explained with indifferent
coldness. “Madame Losiel’s life, from then on, was
one of miserable poverty.” Her maid is dismissed
and the couple moves to a cheaper flat since they
cannot afford to live in any better place. Good use of
adjectives makes the reader feel sympathetic
towards Madame Loisel. She has to do all the
“heavy” work of the house, the “odious” cooking,
clean “greasy” crockery and “dirty” saucepans.
The End
The visual effect the loss of the necklace has had on Madame Loisel is
also made clear. She now looked like an “old woman”. She had a
“strong, hard and coarse appearance.” She is no longer the soft and
innocent woman she once was, but a hideous person. In contrast,
her friend, Madame Forestier, is “still young, still beautiful” The
conversation they have is the moment when we feel most
sympathetic towards Madame Loisel. She tells Madame Forestier
that she bought another diamond necklace to replace the one she
lost. Madame Forestier is “deeply moved” as she takes “both her
friend’s hands in hers.” The last line is by far the most powerful,
moving and humorous line of the story. “Oh you poor, poor thing!
Mine was imitation and worth, at most, five hundred francs!” This
abrupt cliffhanger ending teaches people the consequences of
lying. How honesty really is the best policy and what difference a
lie can make to the lives of so many individuals.
Language Techniques
▪ Violent words – “Tore open the envelope” Helps the reader better picture
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her actions, illustrating to the reader of Mathilde’s desperation.
Stream of Sadness – ”Misery, regret, despair and anguish” It shows the
intensity of the sadness felt by Mathilde with a continuous line of powerful
emotions.
Direct Speech- “Look here, Mathilde” helps the reader be more occupied
into the story, as its like the reader is familiar with the events that are
taken place.
Superlative – “You will meet all the world there!” helps to create a an idea
of how the ball would be like.
Short sentences – “The Minister noticed her.“ helps to emphasise and
bring out the significance of the fact that the minister is gazing at her. It
shows that an important personality is taking notice of her beauty.
Simile – “Pleasure had gone to her head like wine” Helps to give a vibrant
impression of how Mathilde is acting, the reader is now more occupied
with the passage.