“The Necklace” Short Story Summary

1. “The Necklace” Short Story Summary

2. Short Story Summary • TITLE: “The Necklace” • AUTHOR: Guy de Maupassant • SETTING (Time and Place): 1884 Paris, France Loisel’s apartment, party at the Ministry of Education’s Mansion.

3. CHARACTERS (List and describe on separate lines): • Madame Loisel - selfish (beautiful, charming, middle class, spoiled, daydreamed)→→aged quickly, heavy rough, harsh, shrill voice, poor • Monsieur Loisel- kind, generous, loyal hard-working, clerk for Ministry of Education, wants to please wife, middle class

4. Madame Forestier - kind, generous, wealthy, snobby

5. SUMMARY • Madame Loisel is in her apartment dreaming of a better life. She is unhappy and dissatisfied with her social status and mediocre surroundings. Mme & Msr. L receive an invitation to a party at the Ministry.

6. Plot Summary cont’d • Mme. refuses to attend until she has something suitable to wear. She borrows a diamond necklace from her friend Mme. F. Mme. L loses the necklace somewhere on the way home.

7. Summary continued… • They borrow the money from loan sharks and are forced to live a life of poverty for 10 years until their debts are paid off. Mme. L meets up with Mme F and tells her about the lost necklace, and Mme. F reveals the necklace is fake.

8. POINT OF VIEW: • This short story is told from the 3rd person limited point of view. The author focuses on Mme. Loisel’s thoughts and feelings.

9. Conflicts: • Internal – • Mme. Loisel vs. herself: her excessive pride, materialism and shallowness cause her emotional torture as she feels she’s been deprived of luxuries.

10. Conflict cont’d • External – • Mme. Loisel vs. M. different values (although he is tolerant of her behavior and wants to please her)

11. SYMBOLS: • Necklace = greed/desire for what one cannot have, differences in social classes, dishonesty, Mme. L’s ‘fakeness’ or want of material things • Wrap = Mme’s station in life – insecurity- embarrassment • Dress = M. Loisel sacrifice for his wife

12. THEME: • 1. People should be happy with what they have. • 2. Honesty is the best policy. • 3. You may pay a terrible price for greed and desire (Mme. L’s fatal flaw, her desire for material things, her ‘fakeness’ just like the necklace)

13. OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS • Characterization– the author shows what Mme. Loisel is like by concentrating mainly on the way she views her surroundings (daydreams about expensive things/lifestyle.

14. Other Literary Elements cont’d • Irony – Mme. L borrows a necklace to fit in with the rich people she envies, but the loss of the necklace results in her being poorer than she was.

15. Other Literary Elements cont’d • Foreshadowing - Rue de Martyrs the name of the street and the English word martyr- martyr means a great or constant sufferer. • Her intense unhappiness cannot be lifted with one party invitation.

16. PLOT DEVELOPMENT CHART • EXPOSITION: We meet Mme. Loisel in her apartment as she is described as extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with her social status • NARRATIVE HOOK: Mme. Loisel receives an invitation to the party.

17. Plot Development Chart cont’d • RISING ACTION: Mme. Refuses to attend the party without a suitable dress/borrows a necklace/loses it/borrows money to buy a new one/lives life of poverty to pay debt.

18. Plot Development Chart cont’d • CLIMAX: 10 years later relieved of the debt Mme. L. confesses all to Mme. F. who reveals the necklace is a fake.

19. Quote Interpretation: • Quote – “We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desires change.” – Marcel Proust

20. Quote cont’d… • In your own words, explain what this quote means to you – • We cannot always get what we want when we want it. Eventually, our priorities change and what we want changes at the same time.

21. Quote Interpretation cont’d • How does this quote relate to the story you just read? • Madame Loisel is very self-centered at the beginning of the story. She is focused on material possessions. By the end of the story, her perspective changes.

22. Quote cont’d • Foreshadowing- Madame and Monsieur Loisel live on “Rue des Martyrs” street. A martyr is someone that suffers a great deal and never recovers after their loss. The author foreshadows the suffering that Madame and Monsieur Loisel will have.

23. Quote cont’d • Mood- The mood of this story changes as the characters and their priorities change. In the beginning, Madame L is disappointed, but then she has a great time at the party and the mood shifts to one of excitement and enjoyment.

24. Mood cont’d… • After losing the necklace, Madame L’s priorities change and the mood changes to one of tragedy and loss.