English (Footprints Without Feet) · CBSE Class 10 · Supplementary Reader · Guy de Maupassant · 25 Quiz
The Necklace — Summary, Author, Theme & Glossary
About the Author
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a celebrated French short-story writer, famous for his realistic tales with surprise endings.
Theme
The story warns against vanity, discontent and the love of show. It teaches that we should be content with what we have and always be honest — a single moment of pride and one small lie can ruin a whole life.
Summary
Matilda (Mme Loisel) is a pretty but discontented young woman, born into a humble family of clerks and married to a petty clerk. She constantly dreams of wealth, luxury, elegant dinners, fine dresses and jewels, and is always unhappy with her modest life. One day her kind husband brings an invitation to a grand ball at the Minister’s residence. Instead of being happy, Matilda complains she has nothing to wear. Her husband gives her his savings of 400 francs (meant to buy a gun) for a dress. Still unsatisfied — she has no jewels — she borrows a superb diamond necklace from her rich friend Mme Forestier.
At the ball, Matilda is the prettiest woman, admired by all, intoxicated with joy. But on returning home at dawn, she discovers to her horror that the necklace is lost. The couple searches everywhere in vain. Afraid to confess, they buy a new diamond necklace for 36,000 francs — M. Loisel spends his inheritance of 18,000 francs and borrows the rest at ruinous interest — and return it to Mme Forestier, who does not open the case.
To repay the huge debt, the Loisels sink into poverty for ten long years. They dismiss the maid, move to an attic, and Matilda does all the hard housework herself, becoming a coarse, old, worn-out woman. At last the debt is paid. Years later, Matilda meets Mme Forestier and proudly confesses that she had lost and replaced the necklace, suffering ten years for it. Mme Forestier, deeply moved, reveals the terrible irony: her necklace had been false — worth barely 500 francs. The Loisels had ruined their lives for a worthless imitation.
Glossary
incessantly = continuously; tureen = a covered soup dish; M. = Monsieur (Mr); Mme = Madame (Mrs); vexation = distress; chic = stylish; ruinous = disastrous; usurers = money-lenders charging high interest; sou = a low-value French coin; franc = French currency; awry = twisted, out of shape; frigid = cold (in manner).
NCERT Textbook Solutions (The Necklace)
RF1-1Read and Find Out: What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
Mme Loisel (Matilda) is a pretty but discontented and vain young woman, born into a humble family of clerks and married to a petty clerk. She is always unhappy because she dreams constantly of wealth, luxury, elegant dinners, fine dresses and costly jewels, feeling she was ‘born for all delicacies and luxuries’. Since her modest life cannot give her these, she suffers endlessly from dissatisfaction and envy.
RF1-2What kind of a person is her husband?
M. Loisel is a simple, kind, hard-working and contented petty clerk. He is easily pleased (delighted with a pot-pie), loving and self-sacrificing. He gives up his savings of 400 francs (meant for a gun) to buy Matilda a dress, and later works for ten years to repay the enormous debt without complaint — a devoted and good-hearted man.
RF2-1Read and Find Out: What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Although her dress is ready, Matilda is now troubled because she has no jewel or ornament to wear. She fears she will have a ‘poverty-stricken look’ among the rich women at the ball, and even says she would rather not go.
RF2-2How is the problem solved?
Her husband suggests that she borrow some jewels from her rich friend Mme Forestier. Matilda goes to her, and from the jewel-case chooses a superb diamond necklace, which Mme Forestier willingly lends her.
RF3-1Read and Find Out: What do M. and Mme Loisel do next (after the necklace is lost)?
They search everywhere — in the folds of the dress and cloak, in the pockets — but find nothing. Loisel retraces on foot the route they had taken, goes to the police and the cab offices, and puts an advertisement in the newspapers offering a reward. All their efforts fail.
RF3-2How do they replace the necklace?
They buy a new diamond necklace exactly like the lost one for 36,000 francs from a shop in the Palais-Royal. M. Loisel uses the 18,000 francs his father had left him and borrows the rest at ruinous interest from usurers and lenders. They return this new necklace to Mme Forestier.
TI-1Think about it: The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Yes, the necklace completely changed their lives. Before, they lived a modest but comfortable life. After losing it, they plunged into crushing debt and ten years of grinding poverty — dismissing the maid, moving to an attic, and doing all the hard labour themselves. Matilda, once pretty, became a coarse, aged, worn-out woman. Their whole life was ruined — and all, ironically, for a necklace that turned out to be false and worthless.
TI-2What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
The cause of her ruin was her own vanity, pride, discontent and love of show, together with her dishonesty in not confessing the loss. She could have avoided it by (a) being content with her modest life and not craving luxury; (b) not borrowing the costly necklace at all (fresh flowers, as her husband suggested, would have done); and above all (c) honestly telling Mme Forestier that she had lost the necklace — which would have revealed that it was only an imitation.
TI-3What would have happened if Matilda had confessed to her friend that she had lost the necklace?
If Matilda had confessed the loss honestly, Mme Forestier would have told her that the necklace was false, worth barely 500 francs. The Loisels would then have been spared the 36,000-franc debt and the ten terrible years of poverty and toil. One honest admission would have saved their whole life — proving that ‘honesty is the best policy’.
TI-4If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
(Sample) I would have honestly told Mme Forestier the truth at once — that the necklace had been lost despite all efforts — and offered to make it good in whatever way I could. Honesty would have avoided the panic, the ruinous debt and years of needless suffering. It is always better to face a problem truthfully than to hide it with a lie.
TA-1Talk about it: The characters speak in English. Is this their language? What clues show which language they really speak?
(Sample) No, English is not their real language — the story has been translated. The characters are clearly French and would have spoken French. The clues are the French forms of address (M., Mme — Monsieur, Madame), the French names (Matilda, Jeanne Forestier, Ramponneau), the French places (Paris, the Champs-Elysees, the Palais-Royal) and the French currency (francs and sous).