GUY DE MAUPASSANT

The Necklace

Monetary Position

“She was one of those pretty, charming young women...born into a 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 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 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 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.