The Necklace — Class 10 English
Footprints Without Feet · Chapter 7
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Chapter summary
The story in steps
- Matilda Loisel feels unhappy with her simple life and dreams of riches and high society.
- Her husband brings a ball invitation, and she demands a fine dress and then borrows a necklace from Madame Forestier.
- At the ball Matilda looks beautiful, enjoys great attention, and returns home pleased with her success.
- She discovers the necklace is missing, and the couple search for it but cannot find it.
- They buy a costly replacement with borrowed money and spend ten hard years repaying the debt.
- Later Matilda tells Madame Forestier the truth and learns the lost necklace was only imitation jewellery.
Key ideas & terms
- Matilda Loisel
- A discontented woman whose vanity ruins her life.
- Monsieur Loisel
- Matilda’s patient husband, a humble clerk.
- Madame Forestier
- The rich friend who lends the necklace.
- The necklace
- A diamond-looking necklace that proves to be a fake.
- Vanity
- Matilda’s pride and desire for luxury.
- Debt
- The ten years of toil to replace the lost necklace.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- destined
- certain to happen to someone
- luxuries
- costly comforts, not necessities
- elegance
- graceful beauty and style
- clerks
- office workers who keep records
- martyrdom
- great suffering borne silently
- antechambers
- small rooms before main rooms
- fraternity
- group sharing same work
- ecstatic
- extremely happy
- stupefied
- shocked and unable to think
- usurer
- moneylender charging very high interest
Extra questions & answers
Why was Matilda always unhappy?
She felt she was meant for a life of wealth and elegance but was married to a poor clerk, so she was constantly discontented with her modest life.
What happened after Matilda lost the necklace?
Too ashamed to confess, she and her husband borrowed heavily to buy a replacement and spent ten years in poverty repaying the debt.
What was the ironic truth Matilda learned at the end?
Madame Forestier told her the original necklace was only an imitation worth very little, so all her suffering had been needless.
What is the moral of “The Necklace”?
Vanity, pride and discontent can lead to ruin; honesty and contentment with what one has are far wiser.
What kind of life did Matilda dream of?
She longed for a life of wealth, fine clothes, jewels and elegant parties, far beyond the modest means of her clerk husband.
How did Matilda’s husband help her prepare for the ball?
He gave her the money he had saved to buy a gun so she could get a fine dress, and suggested she borrow jewels from her rich friend.
What happened at the grand ball?
Matilda was admired as the prettiest woman present and danced joyfully through the night, supremely happy at last.
How did the Loisels replace the lost necklace?
They bought a costly diamond necklace by borrowing a huge sum from many lenders, sinking themselves deep into debt.
How did ten years of hardship change Matilda?
The hard, poor life of repaying the debt aged her prematurely and robbed her of her youth and beauty.
Why is the ending of the story ironic?
After all their suffering, Matilda learns that the lost necklace was a worthless imitation, so the long sacrifice had been needless.
READ AND FIND OUT
What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
Mme Loisel is pretty and imaginative, but she is also dissatisfied and materialistic. She believes that she deserves wealth, fine clothes, jewellery and an elegant home. Because she constantly compares her modest life with the luxurious life she desires, she remains unhappy despite having a caring husband and a secure home.
What kind of a person is her husband?
Her husband is a simple, contented and loving man. He enjoys ordinary comforts and tries patiently to make his wife happy. He gives up the money he had saved for a gun so that she can buy a suitable dress for the party.
READ AND FIND OUT
What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Although Mme Loisel has obtained a new dress, she becomes troubled because she has no jewellery to wear with it. She fears that she will look poor and shabby among the wealthy women at the party.
How is the problem solved?
Her husband suggests that she borrow some jewellery from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Mme Forestier allows her to choose from her collection, and Mme Loisel selects a beautiful diamond necklace.
READ AND FIND OUT
What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?
They search the dress, cloak and pockets for the missing necklace. M. Loisel retraces their route, visits the police and cab offices, and places a newspaper advertisement offering a reward. Meanwhile, Mme Loisel writes to Mme Forestier, claiming that the necklace’s clasp has broken and is being repaired.
How do they replace the necklace?
They find a diamond necklace that looks exactly like the lost one. It costs thirty-six thousand francs. M. Loisel uses the eighteen thousand francs inherited from his father and borrows the remaining amount from various lenders. They then return the replacement necklace to Mme Forestier.
Think about it
1. The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
The necklace completely transforms the Loisels’ lives. Before the ball, they live modestly but comfortably. After losing the necklace, they borrow a large sum to replace it and spend ten years repaying the debt. They dismiss their maid, move into poor lodgings and perform exhausting work. Mme Loisel loses her youth and beauty, while her husband works day and night. Ironically, all this suffering is caused by a necklace that is later revealed to have been imitation jewellery.
2. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Matilda’s ruin is caused by her dissatisfaction, vanity and desire to appear wealthy. More directly, her decision to hide the loss of the necklace leads her and her husband into crushing debt. She could have avoided the disaster by being content with her circumstances, wearing flowers instead of borrowed jewels, taking greater care of the necklace, or honestly telling Mme Forestier as soon as it was lost.
3. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
Had Matilda confessed immediately, Mme Forestier would probably have told her that the necklace was imitation jewellery worth no more than five hundred francs. Matilda could then have replaced it without taking a huge loan, and the Loisels would have been spared ten years of poverty and hard labour.
4. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
I would tell the owner the truth immediately, apologise and explain exactly what had happened. I would help search for the lost item and discuss a fair way to repair or replace it. Acting honestly would prevent the misunderstanding and greater harm caused by hiding the truth.
Talk about it
1. 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?
No, English is probably not their actual language; the story presents their speech in English for its readers. The characters are French and live in Paris. Names and titles such as M. Loisel, Mme Loisel, Mme Forestier and the Palais-Royal, along with French currency such as francs and sous, indicate that they must be speaking French.
2. Honesty is the best policy.
The story strongly supports this statement. Matilda hides the loss of the necklace instead of telling Mme Forestier the truth. As a result, she and her husband spend ten years repaying the cost of an expensive replacement. A truthful confession would have revealed that the original necklace was inexpensive and would have saved them from years of suffering.
3. We should be content with what life gives us.
Contentment helps people appreciate what they have instead of suffering over what they lack. Matilda has a caring husband and a respectable home, yet her longing for luxury makes her miserable and leads her to make unwise choices. The story suggests that ambition is not wrong, but constant comparison, vanity and dissatisfaction can destroy happiness.