Analysis of the Short Story The Necklace Guy de Maupassant Yajaira K. Gutierrez Colon 1209659380 ENGL 1010-3011ONL

The 4 Basic Elements of a Story Plot Characters Setting Theme

Plot This short story “The Necklace”, tells the story of a woman and her husband. Mathilde imagined herself living in a high social position, but she has nothing and marries a clerk who tries his best to make her happy. They get invited to a party where she borrows a friends necklace in order to experience a night as though she is wealthy. She had the time of her life, but when she returns to her house she realizes the necklace was gone.

Plot She prefers to hide the truth from her friend and decides to replace the necklace, even though it took a lot of work, money and sacrifice. Years later she finally pays off the necklace and decides to tell her friend the truth, to her surprise the necklace she had lost was an imitation.

Characters Mathilde Loisel is a woman who seems materialistic. All she desires is to live a fancy and glamorous life. M. Loisel is a clerk in the Department of Education. He is a middle class man who enjoys his life as it is.

Setting The author suggests that the story takes place in Paris.

Theme Wealth: we can see it through the necklace which brought conflict in this story. Greed: this can be related to all those things Mathilde wanted, but knew she could not have. Pride: it is pride that prevents Mathilde and her husband from admitting they've lost an expensive necklace. Suffering: Mathilde suffers over the circumstances of her life, of how she lives. She also suffers when she loses the necklace.