The Necklace by Guy de Maupassante Oral Report: Edgardo A. Irizarry Martínez

The Necklace – the background The story takes place during the second half of the 19th Century in the city of Paris, France

The Necklace – the characters Madame Lorisel - selfish, beautiful, charming, middle class, spoiled, a daydreamer of being in a higher social level. Monsieur Lorisel - kind, generous, loyal hard-working, clerk for Ministry of Education, wants to please wife, and help her accept being middle- class. Madame Forestier - kind, generous, wealthy, and snobby.

The Necklace – the story This story is about a woman, Madame Lorisel, who is not satisfied with her social life. Madame Lorisel is in constant conflict with herself because of her excessive pride, materialism and shallowness of character. All of this has resulted in emotional torture as she feels she's been deprived of luxuries and social status.

The Necklace – the story Monsieur Lorisel is invited to a ball, an important social activity in honor of the Minister of Education. Madame Lorisel borrows a necklace in order to go to ball; this makes her feel beautiful. Madame Lorisel borrowed, from Madame Forestier, the necklace to fit in with the rich people she envies. Regretfully Madame Lorisel loses the necklace. The loss of the necklace results in her being poorer than she was previously to the ball.

The Necklace – the story After Madame Lorisel loses the necklace, it takes her 10 years of hardship to repay the debt when she borrowed the money to pay for the lost necklace. Madame Lorisel's intense desire for a different life was equally matched by her intense suffering to remove the stigma of losing the necklace and having to work for payment of debt. Madame Forestier reveals that the necklace was fake!!

The Necklace - symbolism Greed or desire for what we cannot have, Differences in social classes, Dishonesty, The 'fakeness' or desire of material things

The Necklace – the themes or message Happiness is not based upon the need of material things. You should be happy with what you have and strife to make the best of each day. Honesty is the best policy. You may pay a terrible price for greed and desire (Madame Lorisel’s fatal flaw, her desire for material things, was a 'fakeness' just like the necklace).

Edgardo A. Irizarry Martínez