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“The Necklace” Short Story
Summary
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.
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
Madame Forestier - kind, generous,
wealthy, snobby
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Conflict cont’d
External –
Mme. Loisel vs. M. different
values (although he is tolerant of
her behavior and wants to please
her)
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
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)
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.
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.
Other Literary Elements cont’d
Foreshadowing - Rue de
Martyrs the name of the street
and the English word martyrmartyr means a great or constant
sufferer.
Her intense unhappiness cannot
be lifted with one party invitation.
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.
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.
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.
Quote Interpretation:
Quote – “We do not succeed in
changing things according to
our desire, but gradually our
desires change.”
– Marcel Proust
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.
Quote Interpretation cont’d
How does this quote relate to the
story you just read?
Madame Loisel is very selfcentered at the beginning of the
story. She is focused on material
possessions. By the end of the
story, her perspective changes.
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.
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.
Mood cont’d…
After losing the necklace,
Madame L’s priorities change
and the mood changes to one
of tragedy and loss.