The Necklace Short Story

Summary
Short Story Summary
TITLE: The Necklace
AUTHOR: Guy de Maupassant
SETTING (Time and Place): 1884
Paris, France Loisels apartment,
party at the Ministry of Educations
Mansion.
CHARACTERS (List and describe on
separate lines):

Madame Loisel - selfish (beautiful,
charming, middle class, spoiled,
daydreamed)aged quickly, heavy
rough, harsh, shrill voice, poor
Monsieur Loisel- kind, generous,
loyal hard-working, clerk for Ministry
of Education, wants to please wife,
middle class
Madame Forestier - kind, generous,
wealthy, snobby

SUMMARY
Madame Loisel is in her apartment
dreaming of a better life. She is
unhappy and dissatisfied with her
social status and mediocre
surroundings. Mme & Msr. L receive
an invitation to a party at the Ministry.
Plot Summary contd
Mme. refuses to attend until she has
something suitable to wear. She
borrows a diamond necklace from her
friend Mme. F. Mme. L loses the
necklace somewhere on the way
home.

Summary continued
They borrow the money from loan
sharks and are forced to live a life of
poverty for 10 years until their debts
are paid off. Mme. L meets up with
Mme F and tells her about the lost
necklace, and Mme. F reveals the
necklace is fake.

POINT OF VIEW:
This short story is told from the
3rd person limited point of view.
The author focuses on Mme.
Loisels thoughts and feelings.
Conflicts:
Internal
Mme. Loisel vs. herself: her
excessive pride, materialism and
shallowness cause her emotional
torture as she feels shes been
deprived of luxuries.
Conflict contd
External
Mme. Loisel vs. M. different
values (although he is tolerant of
her behavior and wants to please
her)

SYMBOLS:
Necklace = greed/desire for what one
cannot have, differences in social
classes, dishonesty, Mme. Ls
fakeness or want of material things
Wrap = Mmes station in life
insecurity- embarrassment
Dress = M. Loisel sacrifice for his
wife
THEME:
1. People should be happy with what
they have.
2. Honesty is the best policy.
3. You may pay a terrible price for
greed and desire (Mme. Ls fatal flaw,
her desire for material things, her
fakeness just like the necklace)
OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS
Characterization the author
shows what Mme. Loisel is like by
concentrating mainly on the way
she views her surroundings
(daydreams about expensive
things/lifestyle.
Other Literary Elements contd
Irony Mme. L borrows a
necklace to fit in with the rich
people she envies, but the loss of
the necklace results in her being
poorer than she was.

Other Literary Elements contd
Foreshadowing - Rue de
Martyrs the name of the street
and the English word martyr-
martyr means a great or constant
sufferer.
Her intense unhappiness cannot
be lifted with one party invitation.
PLOT DEVELOPMENT CHART
EXPOSITION: We meet Mme. Loisel
in her apartment as she is described
as extremely unhappy and
dissatisfied with her social status
NARRATIVE HOOK: Mme. Loisel
receives an invitation to the party.
Plot Development Chart contd
RISING ACTION: Mme. Refuses
to attend the party without a
suitable dress/borrows a
necklace/loses it/borrows money
to buy a new one/lives life of
poverty to pay debt.
Plot Development Chart contd
CLIMAX: 10 years later relieved
of the debt Mme. L. confesses all
to Mme. F. who reveals the
necklace is a fake.

Quote Interpretation:
Quote We do not succeed in
changing things according to
our desire, but gradually our
desires change.
Marcel Proust
Quote contd
In your own words, explain
what this quote means to you
We cannot always get what we
want when we want it.
Eventually, our priorities
change and what we want
changes at the same time.

Quote Interpretation contd
How does this quote relate to the
story you just read?
Madame Loisel is very self-
centered at the beginning of the
story. She is focused on material
possessions. By the end of the
story, her perspective changes.
Quote contd
Foreshadowing- Madame and
Monsieur Loisel live on Rue des
Martyrs street. A martyr is
someone that suffers a great deal
and never recovers after their loss.
The author foreshadows the
suffering that Madame and
Monsieur Loisel will have.
Quote contd
Mood- The mood of this story
changes as the characters and
their priorities change. In the
beginning, Madame L is
disappointed, but then she has a
great time at the party and the
mood shifts to one of excitement
and enjoyment.
Mood contd
After losing the necklace,
Madame Ls priorities change
and the mood changes to one
of tragedy and loss.