Key Concepts
- 1What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 2What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 3What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 4What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 5What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 6What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 7What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
- 8What is the twist in 'The Necklace'?
Important Formulas & Facts
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Matilda spent 10 years in poverty repaying debt for a diamond necklace she lost. At the end, Mme Forestier reveals the original was fake — worth only 500 francs. All the suffering was unnecessary.
Must-Know Questions
Q1What was the cause of Matilda's ruin in 'The Necklace'?
Matilda borrowed a diamond necklace from her friend Mme Forestier for a ball and lost it. She and her husband spent ten years paying off the debt they took to buy a replacement — only to discover the original necklace was made of fake diamonds worth only 500 francs.
Q2What is the moral of 'The Necklace'?
The moral is multi-fold: (1) Appearances are deceptive — the necklace that looked real was fake. (2) Honesty is the best policy — if Matilda had confessed about losing the necklace, she would have learned it was fake and saved 10 years of hardship. (3) Contentment is key — Matilda's dissatisfaction with her modest life led to her desire to appear wealthy, which ultimately destroyed her youth and comfort. (4) Pride and vanity lead to downfall.
Q3How did Matilda's life change after the ball?
Before the ball, Matilda was unhappy but lived comfortably with a clerk husband. After losing the necklace: (1) They took a loan of 36,000 francs to buy a real diamond necklace as replacement. (2) They gave up their comfortable apartment and moved to a cheap attic. (3) Matilda dismissed the maid and did all housework herself. (4) She bargained at shops, washed dishes, carried water, scrubbed floors. (5) Her beauty faded — she became hard and rough-looking. (6) Her husband worked evenings and nights at extra jobs. (7) They lived in poverty for 10 years to repay the debt. The cruel irony is that all this suffering was unnecessary — the original necklace was fake.
Q4What is the twist at the end of the story?
The shocking twist is that the original necklace borrowed from Mme Forestier was made of fake diamonds (paste), worth at most 500 francs. Matilda and her husband had spent 36,000 francs and 10 years of hard labour to replace a worthless piece of jewellery.
Q5Would you say Matilda Loisel was responsible for her own fate? Discuss.
Yes, Matilda was largely responsible for her fate due to several decisions: (1) Her constant dissatisfaction with her modest but comfortable life created unnecessary suffering even before the incident. (2) She insisted on borrowing jewellery instead of wearing flowers as her husband suggested. (3) She chose to borrow the most expensive-looking necklace rather than a modest one. (4) After losing it, she chose to secretly replace it with a real one instead of confessing to Mme Forestier. However, society also played a role — the pressure on women to appear wealthy and the rigid class system of 19th century France contributed to Matilda's mindset. The story suggests that a single prideful decision can have devastating lifelong consequences.
Practice The Necklace
Reinforce what you just revised with practice questions