“The Necklace”

1. “The Necklace” Guy de Maupassant Breanne Jones Catherine Knight Anne Riley Green Blayne Newsome

2. Guy de Maupassant Maupassant grew up with wealthy parents in North-West France. He spent almost every Sunday with the great French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, who inspired him to begin writing. In his teenage years, he served in the Franco-Prussian War. He got promoted to become a government clerk and he spent most of his free time writing. Between 1880 and 1890, Maupassant had successfully written 300 short stories, 6 novels, 3 travel books, and his only volume of verse. A lot of his stories were about “inexplicable, illogical, and contradictory catastrophes”. Also, many of his stories were humorous and warm-hearted. Guy de Maupassant is one of the most indispensible authors of French Literature, thanks to his many great short stories like this one, “The Necklace”.

3. Vocabulary Incessantly - endlessly; constantly - Phil incessantly played his guitar while Jeremy was trying to sleep. Disconsolate - so unhappy that nothing can comfort; hopeless and depressed -The team was disconsolate because they lost the championship game.

4. Aghast - filled with fear, horror, or amazement -The chimpanzee was aghast when he discovered that there were no more bananas left. Gamut - the entire range or series of something -There is a gamut of colors in the rainbow. Privation - the lack of the comforts or basic necessities of life -The privation the people have in Haiti is upsetting to the people who have everything.

5. Theme • The theme of the Necklace is about honesty and telling the truth. The author is trying to stress the importance of telling the truth. For example, in the story when Mme. Loisel loses her friend’s necklace. If she would have been honest with her friend in the first place, instead of trying to cover it up by buying a new necklace it would have saved her and her husband a lot of time, money, and effort. If we lie, the truth will eventually come out and the author is saying it is always easier to tell the truth the first time, and you will save yourself a lot of trouble.

6. Elements of the Story’s Plot • Characters : Madame Mathilde Loisel, Madame Jeanne Forestier, Cabinet Officials, Madame Loisel’s Husband, and the Jeweler. • Setting : Set in Paris, France, in the late 1800’s.

7. Basic Situation: Madame Loisel loses the diamond necklace that her friend, Madame Forestier, lent her when she was invited to a ball. • Internal Conflict: Madame Loisel has to decide whether or not to tell Mme. Forestier the truth. • Complications: The couple doesn’t have enough money to buy a replacement necklace. • Climax: When Mme. Loisel loses the necklace. • Resolution: Mme. Loisel and her husband borrow money to buy a new necklace.

8. Protagonist: Mathilde Loisel • Dynamic Character: Mathilde Loisel. • Static Character: Mme. Forestier, Mme. Loisel’s Husband.

9. Literary Element • Point of view- refers the relationship of the narrator to the story. • In a story with third- person omniscient, the narrator is not a character in the story but someone who stands outside the story and comments on the action. A third- person omniscient narrator knows about everything that is going on in the story that the characters themselves could not reveal. The point of view helps shape the story.

10. Dig Deeper • Guy de Maupassant wrote about middle-class strivers, peasants, soldiers, and ordinary people caught in disastrous situations. He was a warm-hearted man and many of his stories reflected that. Maupassant grew up among peasants and sailors which helped his understanding in writing about Mathilde. Also, he lived during the 1800’s in France which was the setting of this story. The reader can relate with the betrayal and secretiveness of Madame Forestier. There is also a sense of humor at the end when Mathilde finds out that the necklace was fake all along.