“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant: Summary of analysis

Plot Summary

1.   Mathilde was not happy with her life.

2.  Mr. Loisel obtained an invitation to the Minister of Public Instruction’s ball.

3.  Mathilde did not want to go to the ball without a suitable gown.

4.  Mr. Loisel sacrificed his interest for her to get one.

5.  Mathilde needed jewelery to go with the gown.

6.  She borrowed a necklace from her friend, Madame Forestier.

7.  She enjoyed herself at the ball and made a great impression.

8.  She lost her necklace.

9.  Mr. Loisel looked for the necklace without success.

10.  They purchased a replacement necklace and incurred a huge debt.

11.  They did not tell Madame Forestier the truth.

12.  They worked hard for 10 years to repay the debt and in the process aged terribly.

13.  Mathilde met Madame Forestier one day and told her what had actually happened.

14.  Madame Forestier revealed that the lost necklace was only an imitation.

Character Analysis

1.    Madame Loisel (Mathilde)

In the beginning	Physical change for the worse BUT Psychological and moral change for the better	At the end
“Pretty, charming, young”		Coarse
Materialistic		Speaks loudly
Self-centred/vain		Co-operative
Thinks highly of herself		Responsible
Full of self-pity/maladjusted		Persevering
Ungrateful/unpleasant		Strong
Impatient/unsympathetic		Kept dignity/proud
Inconsiderate/selfish		Aware of station in life
Not very resourceful		Less self-centred
Shrewd		Gains confidence
Foolish		Honest
Lied		Accountable

2.    Mr. Loisel

Compassionate

Accommodating

Patient

Loving

Considerate

Reasonable

Caring

Sacrificial

Responsible

Practical

Thinks fast

Suggest ideas

Initiate actions

Persistent

Optimistic

Accountable

Kept dignity

Supportive

Diligent

Unselfish

A bit soft

3.     Madame Forestier

Young

Glamourous

Wealthy

Helpful

Pretentious

Literary Devices

Tone	Conveys pity (on bitter plight of the Loisels to pay up their debts)
Irony	1.   Situational irony – The whole story is an irony. 2.   Dramatic irony – The expectation of Mathilde before and after the ball. 3.   Verbal irony – The choice of words, phrases used to show the opposites.
Foreshadowing	eg: “all was ended for her” – not only the end of the ball, but also her dreams for the future.
Syntax	The use of long sentences in the beginning suggests the rich description of Mathilde’s dream. While short sentences at the end prepares readers for the twist of the story.
Language change	The elegant language need to describe Mathilde in the beginning is set aside for a more down-to-earth substitute at the end.
Imagery	1.  of grandeur (at the start of the story) 2.  of misery (when they had to face reality when the ball was over)
Twist	At the end of the story – quick and merciless.

Examples of Irony

Ironically:

a) the despair about her apartment, together with the inability to hire with actuality, is the cause of Mathilde’s economic and social undoing (the despair is the root-cause of her borrowing the necklace),

b) the life of poverty and suffering brings out coarseness in her character while at the same time it brings out her best qualities of co-operativeness, dignity (pride) and honesty.

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