St.
Edwards School
Subject- English
Class- X
Lesson: The Necklace
Summary For Your Comprehension: (No need to copy in the
notebook)
The story ‘The Necklace’ was written seven hundred years ago by Guy De
Maupassant in France. Matilda Loisel lived in a small flat with her husband who
worked as a clerk for the Minister of Education. Matilda was a very pretty young
lady. Neither did they live a luxurious life nor were they poor. Matilda was very
unhappy because she always thought that she was born for all luxuries in the
world but she had to live a petty and simple life.
One day, her husband brought an invitation to a dinner party organized by his
office. He thought his wife would be excited but instead, she was upset. She
complained that she had nothing suitable to wear to such a great occasion. Her
husband generously agreed to give her four hundred francs that he had saved
to buy a new rifle to get herself a dress. Matilda became anxious in the week of
the party. On asking her she told her husband that she had no jewelry to wear
with her gown. He suggested that perhaps she could borrow something from
her friend Jeanne Forestier. Jeanne heard her story of distress and she
generously opened her box of jewels. Matilda borrowed a sparkling diamond
necklace.
Matilda and her husband attended the gala and had a great time. Matilda looked
very pretty, elegant, and graceful. Everyone at the party noticed her and they
all wanted to be introduced to her. She was so glorified by her beauty that she
became very careless. They arrived home in the early hours of the morning.
When Matilda viewed her glory in the mirror, she realized the necklace was
missing. They searched for it everywhere in the house. They wondered if it fell
in the cab that brought them home but neither of them noticed the number.
Matilda’s husband went out to search the streets but returned empty-handed.
He also went to the policeman and to the cab offices to raise a complaint. He
advertised in the newspaper and offered a reward. To buy some time from
Jeanne, Matilda wrote a letter that she broke the clasp of the necklace and so
she sent it for repair. In the meantime, they found a similar kind of necklace.
The cost of the necklace was thirty-six thousand francs. Her husband inherited
eighteen thousand francs from his father and he borrowed the rest of the
amount from the moneylenders. Finally, they purchased the necklace and
Matilda gave it to Jeanne who did not care to look at it.
Matilda’s life changed dramatically in the next ten years. They moved to a much
smaller apartment where she cooked and cleaned herself. Her husband did
multiple jobs and she also did other work to pay all the money they had
borrowed. After ten years, they were able to pay all the money back but by then
Matilda had aged a lot.
One day, Matilda met Jeanne Forestier. She decided to confess the truth about
the necklace. Jeanne was surprised to see Matilda’s state. Matilda told her that
she had lost the necklace that she borrowed from her and had to pay a huge
amount for the replacement. Jeanne was shocked to hear the entire story
behind the necklace and she confessed that the necklace Matilda borrowed was
a fake, which was not more than worth five hundred francs.
1.What message does the story the necklace teach us?
The main message of the story is that we should be what we are. False pride is the
cause of our sufferings. The loss of a false necklace by Mrs Loisel was not a big
loss. Things could have been settled right if she had confessed the loss of the
necklace to the owner, Madame Forestier.
2.What does the necklace symbolize?
The necklace symbolizes the wealth and status that Matilda longs for but cannot
attain. The coat that her husband gives her at the end of the party symbolizes their
current life, which Matilda hates, and the mediocre social status she wants to
escape from.
3. What are the themes of the necklace?
The main themes in “The Necklace” are greed, deceptive appearances, and beauty
and vanity. Greed: Mathilde Loisel’s overwhelming desire to live a life of luxury blinds
her to the comforts she already possesses and ultimately leads to her losing what
wealth and status she initially has.
4. How Did Mrs. Loisel Manage to Buy a Diamond Necklace to Return it
to Jeanne Forestier? What Were the Consequences?
Ans. Mr. and Mrs. Loisel spent all their savings, i.e., eighteen thousand francs
which Mr. Loisel inherited from his father. They borrowed the rest of the
money from usurers at high interest. They had to arrange thirty-six thousand
francs for the new diamond necklace. All this ruined their life. They rented a
small room in the attic and they had to let their maid go. Matilda did all the
household chores herself and also did odd jobs besides. Mr. Loisel had to do
multiple jobs to save money. He worked late at night after office hours, putting
the books of some merchants or to copy pages at five soups a page to earn
extra money.
5. What would have Happened to Matilda, if She Had Confessed to Her
Friend that She had Lost Her Necklace?
Ans. If Matilda were honest then she would have been saved from her doom.
If only she had the courage to confess to her friend about the truth of the
necklace, she would have come to know that the necklace was not made of
real diamonds and that it was only worth five hundred francs. She would not
have spent her husband’s entire savings that he had inherited from his father
and borrowed eighteen thousand francs to pay for its replacement. In fact,
she would have saved herself and her husband from ten long years of
miserable life.
Q.3 Write the character traits of Matilda, Mr.Loisel and Mme. Forestier.
