The Necklace by
Guy de Maupassant
🧾 About the
Author
Guy de
Maupassant (1850–1893) was a French writer, famous for his short
stories that depict human nature, irony, and the unpredictability of life. His
works often explore realism, focusing on everyday people and situations
with surprise or tragic endings.
📝 Summary of
“The Necklace”
“The Necklace” tells the
story of Mathilde Loisel, a beautiful but discontented woman born into a
poor family. She is married to a simple clerk, Monsieur Loisel, who
works in the Ministry of Education. Mathilde always dreams of luxury, fine
dresses, and jewels — things she cannot afford.
One day, Loisel
brings home an invitation to a grand ball at the Minister’s residence. Instead
of being happy, Mathilde feels upset because she has nothing elegant to wear.
Her husband sacrifices his savings meant for a hunting gun to buy her a new
dress. Still unhappy, she borrows a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend
Madame Forestier.
At the ball,
Mathilde becomes the most beautiful woman, admired by everyone. But after
returning home, she realizes the necklace is lost. Unable to find it,
the Loisels decide to replace it secretly. They buy a similar diamond
necklace for 36,000 francs — a huge sum. To pay for it, they borrow money,
mortgage their home, and live in poverty for ten long years.
After years of
hard work and misery, Mathilde accidentally meets Madame Forestier again. Proud
of having repaid all debts, Mathilde tells her the truth about losing and
replacing the necklace. Shocked, Madame Forestier reveals that her necklace
was fake, made of imitation stones, worth only 500 francs.
🎭 Themes
1.
Pride and Vanity
Mathilde’s
pride makes her unhappy with her modest life. Her vanity pushes her to borrow
the necklace to appear wealthy.
2.
Deception and Reality
The necklace
appears valuable but is fake — symbolizing how appearances can deceive.
3.
Fate and Irony
The story’s situational
irony — Mathilde’s suffering was for nothing — forms the tragic twist.
4.
Materialism
Mathilde’s
obsession with wealth and status leads to her downfall.
5.
Sacrifice and Hard Work
Monsieur
Loisel’s sacrifices and the couple’s suffering highlight endurance and the
harsh reality of life.
📖 Word Meanings
|
Word |
Meaning |
|
Dowry |
Property or
money a bride brings to her husband at marriage |
|
Elegant |
Stylish and
graceful |
|
Grieved |
Felt sorrow
or distress |
|
Ecstatically |
Overjoyed,
extremely happy |
|
Ornament |
A piece of
jewelry |
|
Distressed |
Suffering
from anxiety or pain |
|
Frock |
A woman’s
dress |
|
Attic |
Small room
just below the roof |
|
Imitation |
Fake, not
real |
|
Exorbitant |
Too expensive
or unreasonable |
💬 Important
Quotations
- “She suffered endlessly,
feeling herself destined for all delicacies and luxuries.”
→ Shows Mathilde’s dissatisfaction with her life. - “Madame Forestier, I have had a
hard time since I lost your necklace.”
→ Reflects Mathilde’s confession and pride in her endurance. - “Oh, my poor Mathilde! Mine was
fake. It was worth at most five hundred francs!”
→ The climax revealing the cruel irony.
🏠 Places in “The
Necklace”
1.
The Loisel’s Apartment
- A small, modest flat
where Mathilde and her husband live.
- Represents their middle-class
life and Mathilde’s dissatisfaction.
- After losing the necklace, they
shift to a smaller, poorer apartment — symbol of their fall from
comfort to hardship.
2.
The Ministry of Education Office
- The place where Monsieur
Loisel works as a clerk.
- Symbolizes his hard-working
and humble nature.
- Shows the contrast between his simple
office life and Mathilde’s dreams of luxury.
3.
Madame Forestier’s House
- The rich friend’s home,
full of beauty and wealth.
- Mathilde visits here to borrow
the diamond necklace.
- Represents the world of
luxury Mathilde desires but cannot have.
4.
The Minister’s Ball / Party Hall
- The grand party at the
Ministry of Education.
- The place where Mathilde feels beautiful
and admired — a momentary dream come true.
- Also, the place that begins her
misfortune, since she loses the necklace after returning from the
ball.
5.
The Jewelry Shop
- The shop where the Loisels find
a similar diamond necklace to replace the lost one.
- Symbol of debt and ruin,
since it leads to years of suffering and repayment.
👩🦰 Characters in
“The Necklace”
1.
Mathilde Loisel (Madame Loisel)
- Main
character (protagonist).
- Beautiful but dissatisfied
and vain.
- Dreams of luxury and wealth,
though she lives a simple life.
- Her pride and greed lead to tragedy
and ten years of suffering.
- Represents the dangers of materialism
and vanity.
2.
Monsieur Loisel
- Mathilde’s husband, a clerk
in the Ministry of Education.
- Kind,
caring, and selfless, always trying to please his wife.
- Sacrifices his own comfort and
dreams to buy her a dress and repay their debts.
- Represents honesty, hard
work, and true devotion.
3.
Madame Forestier
- Mathilde’s wealthy friend
who lends her the diamond necklace.
- Generous but unaware
that her necklace would ruin Mathilde’s life.
- At the end, she reveals that
her necklace was fake, worth only 500 francs, bringing out
the irony of the story.
🧩 Minor Mentions
(Background Characters)
|
Character / Group |
Role / Importance |
|
Ball Guests |
Represent the
upper-class society Mathilde dreams of joining. |
|
Jeweller |
The person
from whom Loisels buy the replacement necklace. Symbol of the cost of pride. |
|
Maid |
Mentioned
briefly — part of Mathilde’s earlier comfortable life before poverty. |
🪞 Summary of
Places and Characters
|
Category |
Name |
Significance |
|
Place |
Loisel’s
Apartment |
Modest life →
later symbol of suffering |
|
Place |
Ministry
Office |
Loisel’s
workplace, symbol of duty |
|
Place |
Forestier’s
House |
World of
luxury and wealth |
|
Place |
Minister’s
Ball |
Mathilde’s
dream night → her downfall |
|
Place |
Jewelry Shop |
Source of
debt and tragedy |
|
Character |
Mathilde
Loisel |
Vain woman
whose pride causes her misery |
|
Character |
Monsieur
Loisel |
Kind husband,
sacrifices everything |
|
Character |
Madame
Forestier |
Rich friend,
cause of ironic twist |
🟩 Short-Answer
Questions (2–3 marks each)
Q1.
Who was Mathilde Loisel?
Ans: Mathilde
Loisel was a beautiful young woman married to a simple clerk. She was
dissatisfied with her modest life and constantly dreamed of luxury and riches.
Q2.
Why was Mathilde unhappy with her life?
Ans: She felt she
was born for fine clothes, jewels, and admiration. Her husband’s modest income
and ordinary surroundings made her feel deprived and miserable.
Q3.
What invitation did Monsieur Loisel bring home one evening?
Ans: He brought an
invitation to a grand ball at the Minister of Education’s residence. He thought
it would make Mathilde happy.
Q4.
Why did Mathilde refuse to go to the ball at first?
Ans: She had no
beautiful dress or jewelry to wear and felt ashamed to attend dressed poorly
among rich women.
Q5.
What did Loisel do to buy Mathilde a new dress?
Ans: He sacrificed
the 400 francs he had saved to buy a hunting gun and gave it to Mathilde for
her dress.
Q6.
From whom did Mathilde borrow the necklace?
Ans: She borrowed a
diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.
Q7.
What happened at the ball?
Ans: Mathilde
looked beautiful and was admired by everyone. She felt proud and enjoyed
herself thoroughly, forgetting her ordinary life for a night.
Q8.
What happened after the ball?
Ans: Mathilde
discovered that she had lost the necklace on her way home. Despite
searching everywhere, it could not be found.
Q9.
How did the Loisels replace the lost necklace?
Ans: They bought a similar
diamond necklace worth 36,000 francs, borrowing money from lenders and
living in extreme poverty for ten years to repay the debt.
Q10.
What was the shocking truth revealed at the end?
Ans: Madame
Forestier revealed that the original necklace was fake, made of
imitation stones, and worth only about 500 francs.
Q11.
What is the central theme of the story?
Ans: The story
highlights the dangers of vanity and materialism, and the irony of
appearances versus reality.
Q12.
What kind of life did the Loisels lead after losing the necklace?
Ans: They lived in
great hardship — dismissed their maid, moved to a small attic room, and worked
tirelessly for ten years to repay their debts.
Q13.
What type of irony is shown in the story?
Ans: Situational
irony — Mathilde suffers ten years of poverty for a necklace that was not
real.
Q14.
What moral lesson do we learn from “The Necklace”?
Ans: We should be
content with what we have and not be deceived by appearances. Pride and greed
can lead to suffering.
🟦 Long-Answer
Questions (5–8 marks each)
Q1.
Describe the character of Mathilde Loisel.
Ans: Mathilde
Loisel is beautiful but proud and materialistic. She constantly dreams of
luxury and wealth, feeling that her modest life is beneath her. Her vanity
leads her to borrow a necklace to appear rich, which results in her downfall.
After losing the necklace, she suffers for ten years, showing that pride and
discontent can destroy happiness.
Q2.
How does Maupassant use irony in “The Necklace”?
Ans: The story’s
entire plot revolves around situational irony. Mathilde spends ten years
repaying debts for a necklace she believed was made of real diamonds. In the
end, it turns out to be fake, worth only a fraction of what she paid. The twist
highlights the contrast between appearance and reality and criticizes
human vanity.
Q3.
Discuss the role of Monsieur Loisel in the story.
Ans: Monsieur
Loisel is a loving, supportive husband. Though not wealthy, he tries his best
to make Mathilde happy. He sacrifices his own desires, gives her his savings
for a dress, and works tirelessly to help repay the debt. His character
represents selflessness, humility, and devotion — qualities opposite to
Mathilde’s pride.
Q4.
How does “The Necklace” show that appearances can be deceptive?
Ans: The necklace
looked expensive and real, but it was only an imitation. Mathilde’s appearance
at the ball was glamorous, yet she belonged to a poor household. The story
shows how outer appearances can hide inner truth, teaching that valuing
looks and wealth over honesty brings ruin.
Q5.
What message does Guy de Maupassant convey through the story?
Ans: Maupassant
teaches that contentment and honesty are greater than pride and vanity.
People should accept their reality instead of pretending to be what they are
not. The story warns against the obsession with material wealth and social
status, showing how such desires lead to pain and regret.
Q6.
Describe the change in Mathilde’s life before and after losing the necklace.
Ans:
- Before: Mathilde
lived a comfortable middle-class life but was unhappy and ungrateful.
- After
losing the necklace: She became poor and hardworking. Her
hands grew rough, and she learned the value of labor and humility.
The loss of the necklace transformed her from a proud woman into one acquainted with real suffering.
Q7.
Explain the significance of the ending of “The Necklace.”
Ans: The ending
reveals the bitter irony that the lost necklace was fake. It exposes the
futility of Mathilde’s sacrifices and the cost of her vanity. The twist leaves
readers reflecting on how small misunderstandings and pride can destroy lives.
