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The Necklace Guy de maupassant 

            Think about the selection:

  1. Do you feel sorry for Madame Loisel at the end of the story? Why or Why not?

  2. As the story beins, why is Madame Loisel unhappy with her life? Do you think the author wants readers to sympathize with her unhappiness? Why or why not 

  3. How does her husband respond to Madame Loisel's disappointment ove the invitation? How is M. Loisel different from his wife? 

  4. How does Madam Loisel change over the ten years as she works to pay off the cost of the necklace? 

  5. What message do you think the surprise ending about the necklace's actual value expresses? Explain. 

  6. Describe Madame Loisel's character. Support your answer with at least one example of each of the following methods of inderect chracterization in the story: 

    • her actions and behavoir

    • her words and thoughts 

    • the effect she has on other people

  7. Is teh conversation on the day of the ball in which the Loise's discuss Madame's attire an example of direct characterization or indirect characterization? Explain. What do you learn about both Monsierr and Madame Loisel's charaters from this exchange? 

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"Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary."

Boris Pastemak

While reading the story, ask yourself the following questions to check for your comprehension: 

  1. What does the husband's comment when he goes home to find that his wife has made the soup tureen reveal about his character? 

  2. Why is  Mathilde always filled with despair when she visits her friend? What does this reveal about her character?  

  3. Why does Mathilde suffer constantly?

  4. Why is the husband surprised by his wife's reaction to the party invitation?

  5. What does Madame Loisel's comment about wearing flowers to the party reveal about her attitudes and values?

  6. Why does Madame Loisel visit Madame Forestier?

  7. What do the Loisels' actions after the necklace is lost reveal about their individual characters?

  8. What do the Loisels do to replace the necklace?

  9. What fear prevents the Loisels from telling Madame Forestier the necklace was lost?

  10. What causes Madame Loisel to trembe at the sight of Madame Forestier?

The Necklace

Download the short story and read it. 

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What is the response that best answers the question.

1. How would you describe Madame Loisel in the opening section of "The Necklace"?

  • She is thoughtful.

  • She is self-centered.

  • She is mysterious.

2. How is Monsieur Loisel different from his wife?

  • He is considerably more educated than she is.

  • He values life's fundamental elements, whereas she values outward appearances.

  • He is nostalgic about the past, while she is optimistic about the future.

3. What is the ironic surprise ending?

  • The necklace that Madame Loisel tried to replace is a fake.

  • The necklace that Madame Loisel tried to replace is stolen again.

  • Madame Loisel is no longer beautiful in the end.

4. What does "The Necklace" suggest was most important to nineteenth-century middle-class French society?

  • Honesty was most important.

  • Social status was most important.

  • Hard work was most important.

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Notes on the story

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