The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

QUESTION 1
How do you feel after reading the story?

By the end of this story, I always feel better for Mr. Loisel. He loved his wife at the beginning, stayed with her through those difficult years, and ended up with a wife who was much more content. From his point of view, I'm guessing all the sacrifices were worth it. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes, but only because she used these difficult times to become a better person. 

On the other hand, that doesn't mean that what she does later is not a huge sacrifice.  She is making her own life a nightmare because she wants to make good a mistake she made.  This is surely admirable even in a person who has (in the past) been excessively materialistic and shallow.


QUESTION 2
Write the ending of the story.

“The Necklace ” is most famous for its “whip-crack” or “O. Henry” ending. O. Henry, was famous for his twist endings that turned stories on their heads. In “The Necklace,” the surprise ending unhinges the previously implied premise of the story. Until this point, the reader has been able to interpret Mathilde’s ten years of poverty as penance for her stolen night of pleasure at the party and for carelessly losing the borrowed necklace. The ending shatters that illusion, revealing that the ten years of misery were unnecessary and could have been avoided if only Mathilde had been honest with Madame Forestier. Losing the necklace had seemed to be Mathilde’s fatal mistake, but it was actually Mathilde’s failure to be truthful with Madame Forestier that sealed her fate. This shocking realization sheds new light on the previous events and suggests that Mathilde’s future—even though her debts are now repaid—will be none too rosy.

The horrible irony of the fact that the Loisels spent years paying off a replacement for what was actually a worthless necklace is just one instance of irony evident  in “The Necklace.” Also ironic is the fact that Mathilde’s beauty, which had been her only valued asset, disappears as a result of her labour for the necklace. She had borrowed the necklace to be seen as more beautiful and winds up losing her looks completely. Perhaps the most bitter irony of “The Necklace” is that the arduous life that Mathilde must assume after losing the necklace makes her old life—the one she resented so fully—seem luxurious. She borrows Madame Forestier’s necklace to give the appearance of having more money than she really does, only to then lose what she does have. She pays doubly, with her money and looks, for something that had no value to begin with.

QUESTION 3
Who is your favourite character and why do you like the character?

The character that I find the most interesting is Mathilde Loisel.  Everyone has certain traits that set them apart from others. This is proved to be true with Mathilde Loisel a middle class woman who has a supportive husband that pleases her never-ending wishes. This woman grieves over owning little luxuries after hard work her husband is able to get her an invitation to a Ministerial Mansion, a prestigious event, in the beginning she seems satisfied. Her mind quickly changes when she want a new dress which her husband buys. Not satisfied she borrows a necklace from her dear friend, which she later loses and repays. She goes to many hardships due to her traits these involve being finicky, dependent, and self- centered.

Another trait Mathilde owns is being dependent. I beleive she is very dependent on her husband. She always expects him to please her or buy the items she wants. An example of this would be when she loses the necklace he is the one who spends his inheritance 
to pay back for her mistakes. Mathilde also depends on him to fix her mistakes , which throughout the story he does so. Because of her actions the story brings hardships to both.

Being self-centered is another trait Mathilde Loisel owns. She never thinks about anyone but herself. At the ball when her husband tries to protect her from the cold. She pushes him away because she doesn’t want to look poor due to her shabby cover. Another way she is self-centered is at the beginning of the story she mopes about how miserable she is because she doesn’t live in aluxurious home. Instead of being thankful for what she has she grieves over not being charming, wealthy or power-stricken. 

If it weren’t for Mathilde’s actions and traits the moral of the story would have never been learned.  Being dependent, finicky, and self- centered are what made Mathilde an example of living in a sad grieving life