The Necklace

Textual Solutions for Class 10 English 

SR Chapter 7 The Necklace

"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant tells the story of Madame Loisel, a discontented woman who longs for a luxurious lifestyle. When she borrows a stunning necklace from a wealthy friend to attend a fancy ball, she feels temporarily fulfilled. However, after losing the necklace, Madame Loisel and her husband plunge into debt to replace it. They spend years working tirelessly to repay the debt, only to discover that the original necklace was merely a cheap imitation. Through this tale of vanity and deceit, Maupassant highlights the consequences of pride and the illusion of wealth, ultimately revealing the futility of materialistic desires.

1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?

Madame Loisel is often unhappy because she wants things she doesn't have. She spends her time wishing for a more luxurious life and feeling jealous of people who are richer than her. This makes her forget to appreciate what she already has and enjoy the good things in her life. Her constant desire for more makes her feel like she's always missing something, even though she's actually quite comfortable.

2. What kind of a person is her husband?

Matilda’s husband Monsieur Loisel was an ordinary and simple-hearted young man. He was a small clerk in the office of the Board of Education, but he was contented with his job. With great excitement, he brought a dinner invitation to a grand party for his wife. However poor he might be, he was a caring husband as he gave four hundred francs to his dear wife to buy a pretty dress for the party.

Read and Find Out (Page 41)

1. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?

After spending four hundred francs to buy a beautiful dress, Mme Loisel was worried with another fresh problem. She brooded over the fact that she did not have a beautiful jewel to pair with her pretty dress. Hearing this, her husband suggested she wear some natural flowers as jewellery, but she refused, stating that there was nothing more humiliating than to be dressed shabbily in the midst of rich women.

2. How is the problem solved?

Mme Loisel’s husband, Monsieur Loisel, initially suggested that she wear some natural flowers as jewellery, but she refused to do it. Then, he advised her to request and borrow some jewels from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Matilda uttered a cry of joy as she liked this wonderful idea. The next day she went to her friend’s house and picked a superb necklace of diamonds that matched her beautiful attire. Hence, her husband’s timely suggestion solved her problem.

Read and Find Out (Page 42)

1. What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?

When the Loisels realized they lost the necklace, they searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Monsieur Loisel even checked the streets they walked on. He went to the police, checked cab offices, and put an ad in the newspaper offering a reward. They also pretended the necklace was being fixed to buy time. But they couldn't find it. Finally, they had to buy a new one to replace it.

2. How do they replace the necklace?

After all their efforts went in vain, M. and Mme Loisel decided to buy a new necklace to replace the lost necklace. M. Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs of his inheritance and borrowed the rest of the money from usurers and lenders by making ruinous promises. When they borrowed enough money, the couple went to the merchant and bought a new necklace for thirty-six thousand francs and returned it to the rightful owner, Mme Forestier.

Think about it (Page 46)

1. The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.

The Loisels’ life took a major turn due to the necklace. It took them ten years to repay the loan that they had borrowed to buy the necklace. Their life turned upside down and everything changed for them. To repay the debt, they changed their lodgings, sent away the maid and rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda did all the tedious work of the kitchen, washed the dirty linen, and bargained with the grocer and butcher to save every single sou for mere survival. Her husband worked until late evenings and took up odd jobs to repay their debt. The couple led a miserable life to sustain themselves and repay the frightful debt incurred for buying the jewel.

2. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?

Matilda's desire for wealth and luxury made her unhappy and led to her downfall. She always wished for a rich life and felt sad about not having it. If she had been happy with what she had and appreciated her husband's love, she could have avoided her ruin. Instead of wanting more, she could have been happy with her simple life.

3. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?

If Matilda had bravely told her friend, Mme Forestier, about losing the necklace, things could have been better. Mme Forestier might have been upset, but she would've known the necklace was fake and cheap. Then Matilda wouldn't have spent all their money and borrowed more to replace it. They wouldn't have suffered for ten years with poverty and debt. Being honest could have saved them from a lot of trouble and sadness.

4. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?

If I had been caught in a similar situation, I would have tried my best not to become a victim of greed and unrealistic aspirations. Had I lost a friend’s necklace, I would have revealed the truth about the loss and been ready to face the consequences. I would have been honest about it, and that would have definitely paved the way out for me.

Talk about it (Page 46)

1. The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?

Even though the characters in the story speak English, they probably spoke another language. Guy De Maupassant, who wrote the story, originally wrote it in French. Then it was translated into English. There are clues in the story that show the characters are French, like how they say "Monsieur" and "Mme" before their names. Also, they use French currency like "Franc" and "Sou". The shops in the story are in places like "Palais Royal" and "Champs Elysees", which are in France.

2. Honesty is the best policy.

Being honest is the best way to live. Even though pretending and being proud might seem good at first, lying leads to a sad and difficult life. But if you're honest, you might face some tough times at first. But in the end, it brings you true happiness and peace. So, being truthful is the best way to have a happy and content life.

3. We should be content with what life gives us.

We should be happy with what we have in life. Everyone is born in different situations, and life is a big mystery. Some are born rich and famous, while others are born in poor conditions. So, it's important to live within our means and be satisfied with what we have. We can work hard to improve our lives honestly, and then we can be content and peaceful.