Guy de Maupassant's 'The Necklace' tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel, a woman who dreams of wealth and social status but is unsatisfied with her middle-class life. When she borrows a necklace for a ball, the loss of this jewelry leads to her downfall, highlighting themes of appearance versus reality and the contrast between greed and generosity. The narrative is rich in irony, especially in its unexpected ending, which emphasizes the consequences of Madame Loisel's superficial desires.

2. • Author
• Guy De Maupassant
• Published 1884
• Maupassant was
extremely successful
during his lifetime and
“The Necklace” was
an instant success

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

4. • 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.

5. • 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.

6. • Literary Focus
– Point of View
– Symbolism
• ‘‘The Necklace’’ is told by
an omniscient thirdperson 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.

7. • 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.

8. • 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

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

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