The Necklace By, Guy de Maupassant

Pg 64 1.) Where did Guy de Maupassant live? 2.) What kind of lifestyle did he live? (Was he wealthy? Poor? Did he own luxuries?) 3.) What effect do you think Maupassant’s place in society had on what he chose to write about? 4.) What effect do jealousy, lies, and greed have on the way people choose to behave?

The artist is John Singer Sargent, like Maupassant, lived in the 1800’s in Europe. Sargent became famous for painting the wealthy and stylish people of his time. 5.) If you painted a wealthy and stylish person living today, what details would you paint to show his or her place in society? 6.) What do the details tell you about the woman? (is the woman sitting in the dark or in the light? Is the woman’s dress made of nice material? Is it soft or rough? What is the woman sitting on? What is on the table next to her? Pg. 65

Pg. 66 7.) Picture Madame Loisel in her apartment. How does this setting make her feel? 8.) Compare Madame Loisel”s daydreams with her real surrounding. What kind of life does she want? 9.) What words tell what Madame Loisel does not have? (no fancy clothes, no jewels, shabby apartment, stew) 10.) What is the difference between what Madame Loisel has and what she wants?

Pg. 68 11.) Who is this invitation from? 12.) What kind of place do you think the party will be in? 13.) What does the invitation tell you about the kind of place this party will be held in? 14.) Why does Madame Loisel refuse to go?

15.) Why is Madame Loisel anxious? Pg. 69 The franc was the currency used in France until 2002, when it was replace by the euro. In 2001, 500 francs was equivalent to one hundred U.S. dollars. 15.) Why is Madame Loisel anxious? 16.) Mathilde thinks that looking poor is “humiliating.” What other words does she relate to being poor? (use pages 66-68) 17.) Describe what kind of person Madame Loisel is: What kind of character is she?

Pg. 70 18.) How would Madame Losiel describe her friend’s (Madame Forestier’s) home and jewels? 19.) How does this setting influence her choice? 20.) How does Madame Loisel change at the party? Why does she feel this way?

Pg. 71 21.) Use the context clues in the first paragraph to clarify the meaning of the word “elegance”. What does elegance mean? 22.) Explain what Mathilde wants in her life: 23.) How is the necklace a symbol of what she wants?

Pg. 72 24.) How will the Loisels solve their problem? 25.) How do the Loisels feel about losing the necklace?

Pg. 73 26.) What does the husband do to pay for the necklace?

Pg 74 27.) What is your opinion of her now? Why do you feel that way?

Pg. 75 28.) Describe what Madame Loisel looks like now. (Use words from he text) 29.) Why doesn’t Madame Forestier recognize Madame Loisel?

Pg. 76 30.) Why does Madame Forestier stop short when talking to Mathilde?

Pg 77 31.) How might the outcome of the story, or resolution, have changed if Madame Loisel had been more truthful? Explain your reponse. 32.) Madame Loisel’s choices are influenced by what she values in life. Does her attitude toward these things change by the end of the story?