1. Chapter Introduction
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant is a classic short story about a woman named Matilda Loisel, who is never satisfied with her humble life. Her desire for luxury and social status leads her to borrow a diamond necklace for a high-society ball. When she loses the necklace, she and her husband spend ten years in extreme poverty to pay back the debt incurred to replace it. The story ends with a shocking twist that reveals the futility of her pride and greed.
2. Characters Detail
- Matilda Loisel: A beautiful and charming woman born into a family of clerks. She is constantly unhappy with her simple life and dreams of high-class luxury and jewels. Her pride and vanity lead to her downfall.
- Monsieur Loisel: Matilda’s husband. He is a simple, hardworking, and caring clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction. He sacrifices his inheritance and comfort to fulfill his wife’s wishes and later to pay off the debt.
- Madame Forestier: A wealthy friend of Matilda. She is kind and trusts Matilda by lending her a necklace. At the end, she reveals the truth that changed the Loisels’ lives forever.
3. Full Summary
Matilda’s Dissatisfaction
Matilda was a beautiful young woman who felt she was born for all the delicacies and luxuries of life. However, fate had made her the daughter of a family of clerks, and she married a petty clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction. She suffered constantly, feeling that her shabby apartment and worn-out chairs were a torture. She dreamed of elegant dinners, silver plates, and exquisite food, which made her miserable in her simple reality.
The Invitation and the New Dress
One evening, her husband brought home a large envelope. It was an invitation to a grand ball at the Minister’s residence. Instead of being delighted, Matilda threw the invitation on the table and cried. She complained that she had no suitable dress to wear. Her husband, being a caring man, gave her four hundred francs—which he had saved to buy a gun for hunting—so she could buy a beautiful dress.
The Borrowed Necklace
The day of the ball drew near, but Matilda was still unhappy because she had no jewels to wear with her new dress. Her husband suggested she borrow some jewelry from her rich friend, Madame Forestier. Matilda visited her friend, who kindly offered her a box of jewels. Matilda chose a superb diamond necklace in a black satin box. She was finally happy and felt like the most beautiful woman at the party.
The Fatal Loss
Matilda was a great success at the ball. She danced with enthusiasm and enjoyed the admiration. However, at 4:00 a.m., when they returned home, she stood before the mirror to look at herself one last time. Suddenly, she cried out. The necklace was no longer around her neck. They searched everywhere—in the folds of her dress, her cloak, and her husband even retraced their steps on the street—but the necklace was gone.
Ten Years of Hardship
To avoid a scandal, they decided to replace the necklace. They found a similar-looking diamond necklace at a jewelry shop for thirty-six thousand francs. Monsieur Loisel used his inheritance and borrowed the rest at high interest rates from moneylenders. To pay back this massive debt, their lives changed completely. They moved to a small attic, Matilda did all the heavy housework, and her husband worked extra jobs at night. For ten long years, they lived in extreme poverty. Matilda lost her beauty and became a strong, hard woman of a poor household.
The Shocking Revelation
One Sunday, while walking in the park, Matilda saw Madame Forestier. She decided to tell her the whole truth. When Matilda explained that they had spent ten years paying for a replacement necklace, Madame Forestier was shocked. She took Matilda’s hands and revealed the bitter truth: the original necklace she had lent was fake (imitation) and was worth no more than five hundred francs. The Loisels had ruined their lives for a worthless piece of glass.
4. Multiple Choice Questions (10 MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of “The Necklace”?
(a) Ruskin Bond | (b) Guy de Maupassant | (c) Robert Arthur | (d) James Herriot
Answer: (b) Guy de Maupassant
Q2. What did Matilda’s husband do for a living?
(a) Doctor | (b) Petty Clerk | (c) Minister | (d) Businessman
Answer: (b) Petty Clerk
Q3. Why was Matilda always unhappy?
(a) She was sick | (b) She didn’t like her husband | (c) She desired luxury and social status | (d) She was lonely
Answer: (c) She desired luxury and social status
Q4. How much money did Monsieur Loisel give Matilda for the dress?
(a) 100 francs | (b) 400 francs | (c) 500 francs | (d) 1000 francs
Answer: (b) 400 francs
Q5. From whom did Matilda borrow the necklace?
(a) Her mother | (b) Her sister | (c) Madame Forestier | (d) The Minister’s wife
Answer: (c) Madame Forestier
Q6. At what time did the ball end for Matilda?
(a) Midnight | (b) 2:00 a.m. | (c) 4:00 a.m. | (d) 6:00 a.m.
Answer: (c) 4:00 a.m.
Q7. What was the cost of the replacement necklace?
(a) 18,000 francs | (b) 36,000 francs | (c) 40,000 francs | (d) 500 francs
Answer: (b) 36,000 francs
Q8. How many years did the Loisels take to pay off the debt?
(a) 5 years | (b) 8 years | (c) 10 years | (d) 15 years
Answer: (c) 10 years
Q9. What happened to Matilda’s appearance during those ten years?
(a) She became more beautiful | (b) She stayed the same | (c) She became a crude, hard woman of a poor household | (d) She looked like a princess
Answer: (c) She became a crude, hard woman of a poor household
Q10. What was the actual worth of the original necklace?
(a) 36,000 francs | (b) 40,000 francs | (c) No more than 500 francs | (d) It was priceless
Answer: (c) No more than 500 francs
5. Short Answer Questions (35 Words)
Q1. Why was Matilda Loisel always dissatisfied with her life?
Ans. Matilda felt that she was born for all luxuries and delicacies. She hated her simple life, her shabby apartment, and her lack of fine clothes and jewels. Her constant comparison with the rich made her miserable.
Q2. What kind of a husband was Monsieur Loisel?
Ans. Monsieur Loisel was a loving, patient, and selfless husband. He gave up his savings to buy a dress for Matilda and spent ten years of hardship to pay for the lost necklace without complaining.
Q3. Why did Matilda not want to visit her rich friend, Madame Forestier?
Ans. Matilda did not want to visit her because she felt ashamed of her own poverty. After visiting her, she would weep for whole days with despair and regret, feeling envious of her friend’s wealth.
Q4. How did the Loisels manage to buy the replacement necklace?
Ans. They found a similar necklace for 36,000 francs. Monsieur Loisel used 18,000 francs of his inheritance and borrowed the rest from moneylenders at high interest rates, putting themselves in heavy debt.
Q5. What was the “terrible irony” at the end of the story?
Ans. The irony is that Matilda sacrificed her youth, beauty, and ten years of her life to replace a necklace she thought was diamond, but it turned out to be a fake one worth almost nothing.
6. Long Answer Questions (60-70 Words)
Q1. Give a character sketch of Matilda Loisel.
Ans. Matilda Loisel is a beautiful but vain and materialistic woman. She is never satisfied with what she has and always craves for a life of luxury and status. Her pride prevents her from admitting the loss of the necklace to her friend, which leads to her downfall. However, she shows great resilience by working hard for ten years to pay off the debt, though her life is ruined by her initial greed.
Q2. “The Necklace” teaches us that honesty is the best policy. Elaborate.
Ans. The Loisels’ lives would have been saved if they had been honest with Madame Forestier. If Matilda had confessed that she lost the necklace, she would have learned it was a fake worth only 500 francs. Instead, her pride and fear of social disgrace made her hide the truth, leading to ten years of unnecessary suffering and poverty. Honesty could have prevented their total ruin.
Q3. Describe the change in the lifestyle of the Loisels after the loss of the necklace.
Ans. After the loss, the Loisels lived a life of extreme misery. They sent away their maid and moved to a small attic. Matilda did all the heavy housework, washing linen and carrying water. Her husband worked in the evenings and nights to earn extra money. They saved every sou (penny). For ten years, they lived the “horrible life of the needy” just to pay back the borrowed money.
Q4. How did Monsieur Loisel prove to be a devoted husband?
Ans. Monsieur Loisel was a truly devoted husband. He sacrificed his 400 francs meant for a gun to buy a dress for his wife. When the necklace was lost, he didn’t scold her but instead used his entire inheritance and took life-threatening loans to replace it. He worked tirelessly for ten years alongside his wife, showing immense patience and loyalty throughout their period of struggle.
Q5. What is the message of the story “The Necklace”?
Ans. The story gives a strong message that one should be content with what they have. False pride and the desire to show off can lead to a person’s destruction. It also emphasizes the importance of communication and honesty. Matilda’s vanity caused her to lose everything, teaching the reader that a life based on appearances is hollow and can crumble at any moment.
