The Necklace
By Guy De Moupassant
Q:
What kind of a person is Mme. Loisel-why is she always unhappy?
Mme.
Loisel is depicted as a beautiful woman who is dissatisfied with her middle-class
life. She yearns for luxury, wealth, and social status, feeling she was born
for a life of elegance and sophistication. Her constant unhappiness stems from
her belief that she deserves more than what she has, which leads to her discontent
and longing for a lavish lifestyle she cannot afford.
Q:
What kind of a person is her husband?
Her
husband, Monsieur Loisel, is a humble and content man who works as a clerk. He is
considerate, loving, and does his best to make his wife happy, even sacrificing
his own desires for her comfort. He seems satisfied with their modest life and
is practical, unlike his wife who dreams of grandeur.
Q:
What fresh problem now disturbs Mme. Loisel?
The
fresh problem which is disturbing Mme. Loisel is that what she does not have
any suitable jewellery to wear with her new suit. She was so upset with it that
she almost decided not to go to the party.
Q:
How is the problem solved?
The
problem is solved when Mme. Loisel discussed it with her husband. He gave her
the idea to borrow some jewellery from her rich friend Madame Forestier.
Q:
What do M. and Mme. Loisel do next after losing the necklace?
After
losing the necklace, M. and Mme. Loisel decided to replace the necklace with
exact same design which cost them a fortune. They embarked on a difficult journey
to repay the debt they incur from purchasing the replacement.
Q:
How do they replace the necklace?
They
replace the necklace by borrowing a significant amount of money from various
lenders, thus plunging themselves into a decade-long struggle of poverty and
hard labour to repay the debt.
Q:
The course of Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. comment.
The
course of Loisels’ life changed drastically due to the necklace. initially,
living a modest but comfortable life, they end up in severe poverty and
hardship due to the enormous debt incurred from replacing the lost necklace. Their
life becomes one of relentless toil and sacrifice, transforming Mme. Loisel
from a beautiful, discontented woman into a worn-out and aged person.
Q:
What was the cause of Mathilde’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
The
cause of Mathilde’s ruin was her vanity and pride. She borrowed the necklace to
appear wealthier than she was and did not confess the loss to her friend out of
fear of embarrassment. She could have avoided her ruin by being honest with Madame
Forestier about losing the necklace. had she done so, she would have discovered
that the necklace was a fake and of little value, saving herself from the years
of hardship.
Q:
What would have happened to Mathilde if she had confessed to her friend that
she had lost her necklace?
If
Mathilde had confessed to Madame Forestier that she had lost the necklace,
Madame Forestier would have revealed that the necklace was a fake and worth very
little. This confession would have spared Mathilde and her husband from years
of debt and poverty.
Q:
If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
If
I were caught in a situation like this, I would have chosen to be honest and
confess to my friend about losing the necklace. Open communication and honesty can
often prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary suffering. By being upfront, I
would hope to find a solution that wouldn’t lead to long-term hardship.
Q:
The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their
language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters
must be speaking in?
The
characters in “The Necklace” are actually French, as indicated by their names
(Mathilde, Loisel, Forestier) and the Parisian setting. The story is translated
into English, but the original language and cultural context are French. Clues
such as the setting, the social customs, mode of addressing, and the names of
the characters suggest they are speaking in French in the original text.
Q:
Honesty is the best policy. Comment with reference to the story.
This
story illustrates that honesty is indeed the best policy. Had Mathilde been
honest about losing the necklace, she would have avoided the years of unnecessary
hardship. The moral is that deception and pride can lead to one’s downfall,
while honesty can prevent further complications.
Q:
We should be content with what life gives us. Comment.
“We
should be content with what life gives us” is another key lesson from the
story. Mathilde’s dissatisfaction with her life led her to borrow the necklace
in an attempt to appear wealthier, which ultimately brought about her downfall.
Being content with what we have can lead to a more peaceful and fulfilling life,
free from the pursuit of superficial and materialistic desires.
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