The Necklace By: Guy de Maupassant

1. The NecklaceBy: Guy de Maupassant “She was one of those pretty and charming girls, born, as if by an accident of fate, into a family of clerks.”

2. What is the plot structure of the story? PLOT STRUCTURE: Exposition: This occurs when the husband introduces the invitation to the reception. This is where you get a perspective of the characters and their personality traits. (Mme. Loisel and her husband are introduced). Rising Action: This happens when Mme. Loisel borrows the necklace from Mme. Foister. This also includes Mme. Loisel purchasing the dress and the couple going to the reception. Climax: This event happens when Mme. Loisel loses the necklace and they replace it with a similar necklace. When Mme. Loisel and her husband purchase the new necklace, they have debt, in which they take 10 years to pay for. Resolution: Mme. Loisel finds out the necklace is worthless after finally paying it off and telling the truth to Mme. Foister.

3. What is the point of view of the story? POINT OF VIEW In this short story, The Necklace, it is told by the narrator. Therefore, it is in third person limited because you only read the thoughts of the husband and Mme. Loisel.

4. How does the author use literary elements to enhance the story? Throughout the story, the author uses many literary elements to enhance the story in which they describe personality traits, thoughts and actions, objects and morals. When Maupassant uses these literary elements to enhance the story, he makes the reader predict and ponder what is going to happen next. In The Necklace, the author describes Mme. Loisel’s personality, the necklace she borrowed, her actions with the necklace and the moral to the story. The moral, I believe, can be many different examples. Honesty is the best policy, be grateful for what you have, etc. Here are some literary elements that were used in the story and their examples: - Imagery: The author described the necklace as if he was painting a picture. - Foreshadowing: Guy de Maupassant foreshadowed many different future events and personalities. He foreshadowed that something was going to happen to the necklace, by the title name and also having Mme. Loisel borrow it.

5. How does the organizational structure of the story contribute to the plot? When reading the beginning of this piece, you can tell that Mme. Loisel is ungrateful for everything that she has. She wants worldly things, nice furniture and beautiful, elegant gowns. She doesn’t realize that she has a husband and love, but that doesn’t impact the way she looks at life. This main character wants to be like the other stylish women in the class above her. The beginning explains her personality and her choice to marry a sales clerk. You can foreshadow what this story is going to be about just by reading the beginning. Throughout the story, it explains the events in chronological order. -Mme. Loisel and her husband receive an invitation to the reception. -They purchase the dress and they borrow the necklace from Mme. Foister. -They attend the reception. -Mme. Loisel leaves early in the morning and loses the necklace. -They buy a replacement necklace and finally pay it off after 10 years. -Mme. Loisel finds out that the necklace was worthless. All of these events finally led up to the resolution, when they find out that the necklace was worthless. The organizational structure helps foreshadow and predict how Mme. Loisel will act and say. This helped the reader to predict what going to happen next.

6. How can minor and major characters be compared and contrasted? Throughout The Necklace, the characters can be compared and contrasted mainly on their personality traits and their actions. Even minor characters can still be compared and contrasted on the roles and deeds that they do. Minor characters can also have a huge influence on the story and the events that take place. Some of the major and minor characters in this short story are: -Mme. Loisel (MAJOR) -Mme. Loisel’s husband (MAJOR) -Mme. Foister (MINOR) When comparing and contrasting characters, it can be helpful to draw a bubble map, double bubble map, an outline and also a venn diagram. Here is an example:

7. Comparing and Contrasting Characters When comparing and contrasting the characters in this short story, you can list their actions, thoughts, things they say and their personality traits. When doing this you put this onto a chart or map. (This example is a form of an outline.) Mme. Loisel -Selfish: she wants everything! She whines and complains about her situation and whereabouts. She also uses her husband’s saved up money for a dress -Ungrateful: thinks of everything that she could have if she had money. Mme. Loisel also doesn’t realize what she has and the blessings in her life. Husband -Supportive: let his wife use his saved money to purchase a dress. -Helpful: suggested the idea to borrow jewelry from Mme. Foister. Mme. Foister -Dependable: let Mme. Loisel borrow the necklace for the reception. -Honest: let Mme. Loisel know that the necklace was worthless.

8. HOT QUESTIONS Directions: Write in complete sentences and describe well. 1. How can you describe the theme in this story? 2. What point of view in this story told in? Why do you think the author chose to do it that way? 3. How does the point of view effect the tone of the story? 4. Explain who the protagonist is and give an example to prove your answer. Do the same with the antagonist. 5. What character traits define Mme. Loisel? 6. Make a small plot map that summarizes the whole plot. 7. Is there a foreshadowing event in this story? If so, what is it and how does it define as foreshadowing? 8. What do you think was the rising action and why? How do you think that led up to the climax? 9. What words define the tone of the story? How? 10. How does the beginning of the story describe Mme. Loisel?