Don’t mess with the ‘Stache Author Guy De Maupassant Published 1884 Maupassant was extremely successful during his lifetime and “The Necklace” was an instant success

The Necklace –Overview Madame Mathilde and her husband are not well off financially She has always dreamed of being rich.

Overview, Con’t:When the couple is invited to a ball, Madame Loisel must find jewelry and fine clothing so she can attend the event. The trouble begins when her jewelry is lost.

Literary Focus –Themes Appearance vs. Reality Rich vs. Poor Generosity vs. Greed Madame Loisel is pretty and charming, but she is also unhappy with her lot in life and believes that she deserves more. Madame Loisel’s belief that beautiful things and luxury are essential to her happiness is the untruth that scars her physical beauty. Madame Loisel’s greed stands in marked contrast to the generosity of her husband and Madame Forestier.

Literary Focus –Point of View –Symbolism ‘‘The Necklace’’ is told by an omniscient third- person narrator. The narrator does have access to the characters‘ thoughts. The necklace is the central symbol of the story. The necklace comes to represents Madame Loisel's greed and also her artificiality.

Literary Focus, Con’t: –Irony In a society that so highly values appearance, it is ironic that the beautiful Madame Loisel is excluded from society because of her class standing. The greatest irony of all, however, comes during the story’s surprise ending.

Characters –Madame Mathilde Loisel Beautiful woman on the outside but has a superficial personality Believes that she is meant for better things than the middle-class Infatuated with superficial things: –a ball gown –better furniture –fancy jewelry

Characters –Monsieur Loisel Content with social situation Attentive to his wife's desires, Acts in stark contrast to his wife: generous, hard working, selfless