THE NECKLACE

THE NECKLACE

By

Guy de Maupassant

Q. 1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel ? Why is she always unhappy ?

Ans. Mme Loisel is a pretty girl. She has high dreams. But she is born in a poor family. She has to marry a poor man. Her husband is a small clerk. But she thinks she is born to enjoy all the luxuries of life. She is always unhappy because of the poverty of her house and clothes.

Q. 2. What kind of a person is her husband ?

Ans. Her husband is a petty in the education department. But he is a kind-hearted person. He loves his wife ddeply. He always tries to keep his wife happy.

Q. 3. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?

Ans. Mme Loisel gets a new dress to wear at the ball. But even then she is sad and disturbed. It is because she does not have any jewel to adorn herself for the party.

Q. 4. How is the problem solved?

Ans. Matilda has a rich friend. Her name is Madame Forestier. She goes to her and asks for some jewel. The friend at once agrees to lend her any jewel she likes. Matilda came home with a lovely diamond necklace. Thus her problem is solved.

Q. 5. What do M. and Mme Loisel do when they find the necklace missing?

Ans. First they look in the folds of the dress, cloak and in the pockets. Then Loisel goes out to see if he can find it. But he cannot find it. Then he goes to the police and to the cab offices. He also puts an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward. But they fail to get the necklace.

Q. 6. How does Loisel replace the necklace?

Ans. At a shop they find a necklace similar to the lost one. Loisel has to pay 36,000 francs for it. Though he has with him only 18,000 yet he borrows the rest from the moneylenders and usurers.

Q. 7. The course of the Loisels' life changed due to the necklace. Comment.

Ans. It is tru hat the necklace changed Loisels’ life completely. Now they had to live a hard life of poverty. They changed their lodgings. They sent away the maid. Matilda had to do all the household work herself. She had to live like a poor woman. Loisel did overtime for some merchants. All this continued for ten long years.

Q. 8. What was the cause of Matilda's ruin? How could she have avoided it?

Ans. Matilda’s dreams of living a luxurious life was the cause of her ruin. She always dreamt of having things of luxury. Her temptations for luxurious things encouraged her to borrow a diamond necklace from her friend. When it was lost, not only she but her husband also had to suffer a lot. If she had not borrowed the necklace from her friend, her life would have been different.

Q.9 What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost the necklace?

Ans. Matilda would have been saved from ruin if she had confessed the loss to her friend. The lost necklace was worth only 500 francs. She could easily buy another in its place and give it to her friend. Then even her friend might not have minded the loss altogether.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q.1  Write a brief character sketch of Matilda Loisel.

Ans.  Matilda Loisel is the central character in this story.  She was born in a poor family.  She was very pretty and attractive.  She was married to a clerk.  So she led to simple life.  She always dreamed of a rich and luxurious life.  She wanted to enjoy life fully.  She wanted to attend parties.  

Matilda is a tragic character.  She borrowed a necklace from a friend to wear at a party.  Everybody praised her beauty.  But she lost the necklace.  The loss of necklace changed her life.  Her husband borrowed a lot of money to replace it.  She and her husband worked hard for ten years to repay the debt.  In the end, she came to know that the necklace was made of artificial diamonds.  

Matilda was a woman of self - respect. She did not tell Mrs Forestier that she had lost the necklace.  She decided to suffer in life but not to lose herself respect.  She worked hard for ten years.  She faced difficulties.  But she did not grumble.  She suffered for no fault of hers.  We feel sympathy for her.

Q.2 The course of the Loisels' life changed due to the necklace. Comment.  

Ans. Matilda Loisel was a very pretty girl married to a petty clerk.  She was very ambitious and demanded too much from life. An invitation to a Ball from the Minister elated Mr. Loisel but Matilda was unwilling as she did not have proper dress and jewellery. On her husband's advice, she borrowed a diamond necklace from her friend for the purpose. She looked very beautiful that night. 

As they came back home, she found the necklace missing. She was shocked and from that very moment, her life took a turn towards ruin. The price of the necklace was beyond their reach. She sacrificed all her comfort and even all her needs to get money to buy a new necklace and give it to  her friend. Because of overwork, tension and lack of care, she became a physical wreck. Happiness one night changed her whole life's ways and style. Wearing a necklace for one night destroyed all her life. The whole course of her life changed due to the necklace. 

Q.2 Write a summary of the lesson 'The Necklace'.

Ans. 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant is a story of a woman who wants to live a life of luxuries and due to her this very desire, she spoils the rest of her own life as well as the life of her husband. Matilda Loisel is a beautiful woman.  She suffers greatly because of her desire to appear rich and fashionable.  She is married to a clerk and she leads an ordinary life. But she wants to be rich and famous.  Her husband gets an invitation to attend a dance party given by the Minister of Public Instruction.  Matilda borrows a necklace from her rich friend Madame Forestier to wear it at the party. She looks charming and everyoon praises her. But when she returns home, she finds that she has lost the necklace. She and her husband have to borrow a big amount of money to replace the necklace. Both of them work hard for ten years to pay off their debt. Their life becomes miserable. One day, after the debt is paid off, Matilda comes across Madame Forestier.  Matilda is shocked to learn from her that the necklace was made of artificial diamonds and its price was not more than 500 francs.