The Necklace
by Guy de Maupassant
Summary
The story “The Necklace” is about the fact
that even a small thing can change the life of a person. Chance or fate plays
very important role in human life. It is more powerful than human resolution.
It is man’s destiny.
Mathilda is the central character of the
story. She was very pretty. She thought that she was born in the family of
clerks by the error of destiny. Her husband, Losiel was also a clerk.
She believed that she was born for all the
luxuries of life. She did not like her poor house. She always dreamed of a big
house.
One day her husband brought an invitation
card for a ball at the residence of the Minister of Education. She was not
happy at the invitation because she had no good dress to wear at the party.
Loisel gave her 400 francs to buy the dress. However, she was still unhappy.
Now she wanted some jewels to wear.
She went to her friend to borrow some jewel.
She borrowed a necklace. She went to the party and enjoyed it. On her return,
she lost the necklace. Her husband tried to find it but failed. Later they
borrowed money and bought a new necklace to replace the lost one.
Now Loisel worked day and night to return the
borrowed money. Mathilda discharged the maidservant and did everything of the
household by herself.
They were able to return the money after ten
years. Now Mathilda had lost all her beauty. She had changed so much that her
friend could not recognize her. Mathilda told her the whole story but her
friend told her that the necklace she had borrowed was not real. (282)
The story “The Necklace” is a superior work and its plot is conceived in terms of an affecting ironic reversal. Discuss.
No doubt, the story “The Necklace” is a
superior work of art and its plot has been conceived in terms of an affecting
ironic reversal.
First, when we go through the story, we find
that Mathilda was not satisfied with her life. She was very beautiful and
thought that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries of life. Therefore,
she wanted to marry a rich man. However, it is ironic reversal that she was
married to a poor a petty clerk against her wishes.
Secondly, she always dreamed living in a
palace. She thought of big houses having eastern construction and luxuries.
However, her expectation of living in a big house did not come true. She got a
poor apartment. Ironically, she had to leave that apartment too. She had to
rent some rooms.
Thirdly, she thought that she was born for
all delicacies and luxuries. However, what did she get? She had to send away
the maidservant. She had to wash the dishes. She had to wash clothes. She lost
her beauty and ten years of her life. She had become the poor household woman.
She seemed older now.
Fourthly, when she lost the necklace, she
thought that it was real. However, ironic reversal is that the necklace was
false. Fifthly, she went to the ball. She wore expensive clothes and jewellery.
She expected that she would be very happy. But ironic reversal is that she had
to lead a life of misery and sufferings. (247)
2. How singular is life and how full of changes! How a small thing will ruin or save one,” Mathilda thinks. Do you agree?
In the drama of human life, chance or fate, sometimes, is more powerful than human resolution. It is man’s destiny. Do you agree?
How was chance, luck, or fate at the basis of the suffering of Mathilda and Loisel?
Yes, I fully agree that a small thing or a
chance or fate can ruin or save a person. Chance is more powerful than human
resolution and it is man’s destiny.
When we go through the story carefully, we
find that Mathilda’s life was going on very well. Although she was not
satisfied with her life, het she was living better than most of the middle
class women. She had a loving husband. She had a maidservant who did everything
for her. She was very beautiful and looked out of her dress. All this suggests
that her life was all right.
Now chance played its role and changed all
her life. Her husband brought an invitation to the ball at the Minister’s
residence. She had no jewel to wear on the party. She went to her friend and
borrowed a necklace to wear. She was very happy, but a small thing happened.
She lost her necklace. It was necessary to replace that necklace. Her husband borrowed
the money from every possible source and brought the necklace.
Chance again played its role. When she went
to return the necklace, her friend did not open the jewel box. Actually, the
necklace she had borrowed from her friend was false and she was returning the
real one. If she had opened the jewel case, she would have come to know that
fact and Mathilda would have been saved from future sufferings. However, chance
or fate did not let her friend open the jewel case. Now their life changed and
they lost everything.
It proves that chance is more powerful than
human resolution. It is man’s destiny. (273)
3. It is said that Madam Loisel was responsible for her tragedy. Do you agree?
When I read the story “The Necklace”, I quite
agree that Madam Loisel was responsible for her tragedy.
Firstly, she should have accepted the fact
that she was a poor woman and she would be misfit among people of high class.
She was completely wrong when she thought that she was born of all delicacies
and luxuries because she was the wife of a petty clerk. Her high ideas about
the luxuries of life were the first reason of her tragedy. She should not have
gone to the ball. It was her mistake.
Secondly, she should not have borrowed the
necklace from her friend. This was her second mistake and it was the main
reason of her tragedy. Wearing that necklace, she wanted to make a show of her
riches. Thirdly, she acted quite carelessly. She should have taken great care
of the necklace. However, she was in a world of dream. This was what she always
wanted. At that time, no one and nothing had any importance for her. She had
even forgotten her husband. That was her third mistake. She lost the necklace
because of her carelessness.
Fourthly, she should have told her friend
that she had lost her necklace. If she had told her friend about the loss of
the necklace, she would have come to know that the necklace she had borrowed
was false. In this way, she would have been saved of her tragedy. It was her
greatest mistake.
Therefore, we can conclude that Madam Loisel
was responsible for her tragedy. She committed four mistakes that resulted in
her tragedy. (265)
4. It is said that Mr. Loisel was also responsible for his and his wife’s tragedy. Do you agree?
When I go through the story “the Necklace”, I
agree that Mr. Loisel was also responsible for his and his wife’s tragedy.
Firstly, Mr. Loisel should not have brought
the invitation to the ball. He knew that he was only a clerk and he would be
quite misfit among the people of high class. However, he wanted to please his
wife. When his wife told him that she did not have anything to wear, he should
not have insisted on going to the ball. It was a great mistake on his part. He
should have dropped the idea of going. However, he did not do so.
Secondly, he should not have advised his wife
to borrow some jewel from her friend. His wife did not have any idea about
that. It was his second great mistake. Thirdly, when the necklace was lost he
asked his wife to tell a lie. He asked her to write to her friend that she had
broken the clasp of the necklace and she would have it repaired and then return
it. Now it was his greatest mistake because it resulted in his and his wife’s
tragedy.
Therefore, we can conclude that Mr. Loisel
was responsible for his and his wife’s tragedy. He committed three mistakes.
(211)
5. What is the theme of the story “The Necklace”?
The theme of the story is that even a small
thing can change the life of a person. Chance or fate plays a very important
human life. It is more powerful than human resolution. It is man’s destiny.
When we go through the story carefully, we
find that Mathilda’s life was going on very well. Although she was not
satisfied with her life, yet she was living better than most of the middle
class women. She had a loving husband. She had a maidservant who did everything
for her. She was very beautiful and looked out of her class. All this suggests
that her life was all right.
Now chance played its role and changed all
her life. Her husband brought her invitation to the ball at the Minister’s
residence. She had no jewel to wear on the party. She went to her friend and
borrowed a necklace to wear on the party. She was very happy, but a small thing
happened, she lost her necklace. It was necessary to replace that necklace. Her
husband borrowed the money from every possible source and bought the necklace.
Chance again played its role. When she went
to return the necklace, her friend did not open the jewel case. Actually, the
necklace she had borrowed from her friend was false and she was returning the
real one. If she had opened the jewel case, she would have come to know that
fact and Mathilda would have been saved from future sufferings. However, chance
or fate did not let her friend open the jewel case. Now their life changed and
they lost everything. It proves that chance is more powerful than human
resolution. It is man’s destiny. This is the theme of the story. (290)
6. “The necklace” is a tragedy. Discuss.
According to Aristotle, a tragedy is a story
of suffering over a long period. The hero of the tragedy is better than
ordinary people are. He suffers because of a mistaken act. He exhibits great
endurance in the face of sufferings. He may die or fail miserably at the end.
His sufferings may arouse pity and terror.
In the light of the above definition, when we
read the story, “The Necklace”, we find that Mathilda was higher in the sense
that she was very beautiful. She suffered because of her four mistaken acts.
Firstly, her high ideas about the luxuries of life were the first reason of her
tragedy. She should not have gone to the ball. It was her mistake. Secondly,
she should not have borrowed the necklace from her friend. This was her second
mistake and it was the main reason of her tragedy.
Thirdly, she acted quite carelessly. She
should have taken great care of the necklace. She lost the necklace because of
her carelessness. Fourthly, she should have told her friend that she had lost
her necklace. In this way, she would have been saved of her tragedy.
We see that she suffered for ten long years,
but like the heroine of a tragedy, she exhibited great endurance in the face of
all the sufferings. We see that she failed in the end in a sense that all her
struggle proved useless. The end of the story arouses pity and horror. We see her older than her friend of the same
age. When her friend revealed that the necklace was false, we pity her. It is a
shock not only for Mathilda but also for readers.
Therefore, we can conclude that “The
Necklace” is a tragedy and it fulfills all its requirements. (297)
7. What is the moral of the story “The Necklace”?
There are at least three lessons or morals in
the story “The Necklace”.
The first lesson is that we should be
contented. We should learn to live according to our circumstances. When we read
the story careful, we find that Mathilda was very beautiful. She was not
contented. She thought that she was born for all the luxuries of life. She
wanted to live in grand houses. She wanted to marry a rich man.
That was why she was always depressed. She
did not enjoy her household life and food. When her husband praised the food,
she thought of elegant dinners. She had neither frocks nor jewels and she felt
that she was made for them. Therefore, she suffered for ten long years for her
high ideas. No doubt, we should have high ideas but we should cut our coat
according to our cloth.
The second lesson is that we always suffer if
we try to get happiness through borrowed things. Shakespeare was right when he
said that neither a borrower nor a lender be. Mathilda should not have borrowed
the necklace from her friend. In this way, she should have been saved from her
tragedy.
The third lesson is that we should always
tell the truth. Truth always saves us. By telling a lie, we invite sufferings
and misfortune. We see that when they lost the necklace, they should have told
Mathilda’s friend about that. In this way, they would have come to know that it
was a fake necklace. However, they told a lie and suffered for ten long years.
In the end they found out that, they did not have anything to be proud. The
necklace was not real and their struggle was just useless. What a pity! (292)
8. Write a note on the vanity of Mathilda Loisel.
No doubt, Mathilda Loisel was proud and
self-loving. She was very beautiful and charming and she was proud of her
beauty. Because of this beauty, she thought that she was born in a family of
clerks through the error of destiny. She felt that she was born for all
delicacies and luxuries. She also felt that she was made for expensive frocks,
jewels and other such things.
As she belonged to a family of clerks, she
was married to a petty clerk, but she was not happy at this marriage. She
thought that she was out of her class and she belonged to upper class. That was
why she did not like the poverty of her house. She thought that because of her
beauty she had a right to live in a grand house. This house should have
graceful furniture, footmen, and perfumed rooms. She wanted to chat with rich
friends at five o’clock in those rooms.
When she and her husband sat to eat, she did
not enjoy the food. Her husband praised the humble food but she thought of
elegant dinners. She imagined that she would enjoy the food with a smile. There
would be expensive wall cloth on the walls.
Therefore, we can conclude that Mathilda was
very vain and proud because of her beauty. She was not happy with her life of
poverty. She thought that she was born in the family of clerks through an error
of destiny. As she was born for all the delicacies and luxuries of life, she should
be among the people of high class. When we read the story we find out that, she
suffered because of this vanity. (279)
9. How did Mathilda lose the necklace and what efforts did Loisel make to search it?
What caused the loss of the necklace?
When we read the story “The Necklace”
carefully, we find that Mathilda might have lost the necklace in the cab or
somebody might have stolen it during the party. The thief might have thought
that it was a real and expensive necklace.
Mathilda was very careless about the
necklace. She enjoyed the party. Her greatest desire had come true. She was in
a world of dream and she had forgotten everything, even her husband. Therefore,
it was probable that either someone had stolen it during the party or she might
have dropped it there. She might not have lost it on the road. If she had
dropped it on the road, she, and her husband would have heard it fall.
Therefore, if she had not lost it at the party she might have lost it in the
cab while returning home.
When they found out that Mathilda had lost
the necklace, they looked in the folds of the dress and in the pockets. In
short, they searched for it everywhere, but could not find it.
After that, Loisel went to search the
necklace on the track where they had walked on foot. He returned at 7 o’clock
without any success. Then he went to the police and to the cab office. He put
an advertisement in the newspaper and offered a reward. He did everything that
he could do but failed to find the necklace. The continued their search for one
week but lost all their hopes. (247)
10. What did Loisel and Mathilda do to buy a necklace to replace the lost one?
When they could not find the necklace, they
decided to get some more time. First Mathilda wrote to Madam Forestier that she
had broken the clasp of the necklace and she would return it after getting it
repaired. In this way, they got some time to search the necklace but they could
not find it even after one week.
Now they decided to replace the necklace.
They took the box of the necklace to the jeweler whose name was written inside
the box. However, he told them that he had not sold that necklace; he had only
supplied the box. Then they went from jeweler to jeweler to find a necklace
like the lost one.
At last, in a shop they found a necklace that
seemed like the lost one. Its value was forty thousand francs, but they could
it four thirty-six francs. They begged the jeweler not to sell the necklace for
three days. They hoped that they would the necklace. Therefore, they arranged
with the jeweler that if they found the lost necklace before the end of
February they would return the necklace in thirty-four thousand francs.
Mr. Loisel had eight thousand francs and he
borrowed some of the amount form his friends and relatives. The rest he took form
usurers and lenders. He signed bond that he could not fulfill. At last, he
bought for thirty-six francs and gave it to Madam Forestier. (236)
11. How did Mr. Loisel and Mathilda suffered to return the borrowed money?
To return the borrowed money Mr. and Mrs.
Loisel suffered for ten long years.
First, they sent away the maidservant. Then
they changed their lodging and rented some rooms. Now Mathilda learnt heavy
cares of household life. She had to do the difficult chores of her kitchen. She
had to wash dishes, greasy pots and stew pans. She had to use her rosy nails to
wash the greasy pots and the bottoms of the stew pans. She had to wash dirty
clothes and to hang them on the line to dry. Then each morning she had to take
down the refuse to the street. She also had to bring up the water for daily
use. She had to stop at each lending to breath. She did not have much money so
she haggled with the shopkeepers to get reduction in prices.
Once she was very beautiful and used to wear
beautiful dresses. Now she seemed old. Now she looked a common household woman.
She had badly dressed hair and dirty dresses. Her hands were red and she spoke
in a loud tone. She washed the floors in large pails of water.
Mr. Loisel had to work in the evenings after
his office hours. He put the books of some merchants in order. At nights, he
did copying for five sous a page.
Therefore, Mr. and Mr. Loisel led a life of
difficulty after the loss of the necklace. They suffered for ten long years.
However, that was not all. When they had returned the borrowed money, they came
to know that they were suffered for nothing. The necklace they had lost was not
real and its price was not over five hundred francs. We take pity on them for
that. (291)
12. Was the necklace real or fake? How Mathilda come to know of this? Discuss the end of the story. Reproduce the talk between Madam Loisel and Madam Forestier.
On one Sunday Madam Loisel was taking a walk
to free her of the cares of the week. Suddenly she saw Madam Forestier who was
also taking a walk with a child. She decided to talk to her. She was meeting
her after ten years. Now that she had paid up for the necklace, she could talk
to her without any fear.
She approached her and said good morning to
her very frankly. However, Madam Forestier could not recognize her because
Mathilda had changed completely. She was not beautiful any more. She looked an
ordinary poor woman. On the other hand, her friend was looking young and
attractive. Madam Forestier said that she did not know her and she must be
mistaken. Mathilda introduced herself. Madam Forestier was surprised. She told
her that she had changed very much.
Mathilda told her that she faced many
hardships because of Madam Forestier. She reminded her that she had borrowed a
diamond necklace from her and then later lost it. She told her friend that she
had returned her another necklace. She was happy because she had paid all the
borrowed money.
Madam Forestier asked her if she had returned
her a real diamond necklace. When Madam Forestier came to know that it was
real, she was greatly moved. She took Mathilda’s both hands and told her that
her necklace was not real and it was not worth over five hundred francs.
Therefore, that was how Mathilda came to know
that the necklace she had borrowed was false and all her struggle was useless.
(263)
13. Write a note on the cultural background of the story. The writer has satirized the French life of his time. The writer has reflected the life style of French people of his time. Discuss.
When we read the story carefully we find that
the story as a strong cultural background. The writher has presented woo
classes of people – middle class and the upper class. There was a great gap
between the two.
The people of high class were enjoying all
the luxuries of life. They had ball parties. They enjoyed themselves by
dancing, chatting, and playing indoor games. They wore fake jewellery. However,
they tried to show off that they were wearing real and expensive jewellery.
Madam Forestier’s fake diamond necklace proves this point. They made a show of
their costly dresses. They were so carefree that they enjoyed parties until
late at night.
On the other hand, people of middle class
were suffering. They wanted to close the gap but could not do so. They suffered
and because of these sufferings, they lost their beauty and looked old. On the
other hand, rich people of the same age looked younger and more attractive. At
the end of the story, we see that Mathilda’s rich friend of the same age was
still beautiful and attractive.
Therefore, the writer has presented class
difference vey satirically. The talk between Mathilda and her friend at the end
of the story throws light on the class difference. (209)
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