““What would have happened if Mathilde had not lost the necklace?”

From ‘The Necklace’ by Guy de Maupassant

1. “She danced madly, ecstatically, drunk with pleasure, with no thought for anything, in the triumph of her beauty, in the pride of her success, in a cloud of happiness made up of this universal homage and admiration, of the desires she had aroused, of the completeness of a victory so dear to her feminine heart.” 

2. “Frightened by the pains yet to come, by the black misery which was about to fall upon him, by the prospect of all the physical privation and of all the moral tortures which he was to suffer, he went to get the new necklace, putting down upon the merchant’s counter thirty-six thousand francs.”

3. “What would have happened if she had never lost those jewels? Who knows? Who knows? How strange life is, how fickle! How little is needed to ruin or to save!”

Questions for Discussion/Writing

"The Necklace"

1. What is the setting of the story?

2. Give evidence from the story that supports your description of the settings. 

3. In what point of view is the story written in?

4. What does the author mean with the words “as if by an accident of fate”

5. Before the party, how would you describe Mr. And Mrs. Loisel's financial position? Are they poor, middle income or rich?

6. Were they content and happy with what they had?

7. After the party, how would you describe Mr & Mrs. Loisel’s financial position?

8. Quote from the story phrases that supports your answers of questions 5 & 7.

9. Is Mr. Loisel more accepting of his financial/social place in life than Mathilde?

10. What does Mr. Loisel’s suggestion of her wearing flowers tell you about him?

11. Is Madame Forestier the type of person who would have been cruel to Matihilde about losing the necklace?

12. Why does Mathild try to cover up the loss of her friend’s necklace?

13. Why did she then at the end of the story explain to Mm. Forestier what she went through?

14. How would you describe Mr. Loisel's character?

15. What sacrifice does Mr. Loisel make for his wife to be happy?

16. What two choices do the Loisels have when they realize the necklace is permanently lost? 

17. Mathilde has changed in many ways by the end of the story. In what ways has she changed? 

18. It is obvious that Mathilde is unhappy at the beginning of the story. Does her husband understand her unhappiness?

19. Provide evidence from the story that would support your previous answer.

20. What is the theme of "The Necklace"?

Think in depth:

21. At the end of the story we find out that the original necklace was made of phony diamonds. What do you think Mathilde's reaction would have been had Jeanne told her this fact when she borrowed the necklace?

22. When she loaned Mathilde the necklace, why didn't Madame Forestier tell her friend that it wasn't valuable? 

23. In a story, the conflict often arises between two characters, usually the protagonist and the antagonist. If Mathilde is the protagonist, who is the antagonist?

24. When Mr. and Mrs. Loisel are about to leave the jewelry store, the jeweler says, "You will have a lifetime to enjoy these diamonds." This statement as an example of Irony. Explain the irony of this statement.

25. What is the symbolic meaning of the paste necklace as it relates to Mathilde at the beginning of the story?

26. When the true value of the lost necklace is revealed, it is obvious that Madame Forestier owes Mathilde a great deal of money. Considering Madame Forestier's kind and generous nature, one could easily imagine her giving Mathilde the money. Mathilde could then afford to move in fashionable social circles and buy fashionable clothes of her own. Explain the irony of this.

27. What do you think the main reason is behind all the suffering, poverty, and distress that Mme. Loisel goes through?

28. In your own opinion how could have she managed to spare herself all this pain?

29. What is the style of the Maupassant, and how does it differ from O. Henry’s style?

O. Henry Guy de Maupassant