“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

1. Short Story “The Necklace”by Guy de Maupassant

2. First, some background info: "The Neckace" takes place in Paris in the second half of the 19th century. The life of a typical French woman was dictated by the income of her father or husband. Wealthy women were upper class and lived a life of luxury. Middle-class women took care of family and home. Lower-class lived a life of poverty and hard work. A woman could improve her status by marrying someone of a higher class, however a woman needed a dowry-(money or property) to give her new husband.

3. - We will be reading this story in three sections. - Each section will have questions that correspond to that part of the story. - You should be hunting for the answers to these questions as we read through the story. Reading & Answering Questions: You may answer in short form. This chart is due by the end of class today.

4. SECTION 1 This sections ends at the line: “bearing these words” In Box 1 – Answer: Who is the protagonist of the story? Describe the setting of the story so far (country? year?). In Box 2 – Predict: Based on the protagonist’s dreams, what do you think the card might read? In Box 3 – Infer: While reading Section2, write down at least 3 words that describe Mme Loisel (think about her actions and her emotions).

5. SECTION 2 This sections ends at the line: “The necklace was gone” In Box 4 – Answer: When Mme Loisel finds out that she and her husband are invited to the ball, she is scornful and cries. Why? In Box 5 – Answer & Infer: Who does Mme Loisel borrow the necklace from? Why do you think she chose the diamond necklace as opposed to all of the other options? In Box 6 – Answer: Why is Mme Loisel anxious to leave the ball?

6. SECTION 3 This sections ends at the line: “five hundred francs!” In Box 7 – Examine: How does Mme Loisel solve the problem of the missing necklace? (Name at least three things she does) In Box 8 – Discuss: What is ironic about the resolution of the story? In Box 9 – Discuss: What does the necklace symbolize for Mme Loisel? In Box 10 – Compare and contrast: How does Mme Loisel change from the beginning of the story to the end? (at least 3 ways). In Box 11 – Discuss: What do you believe to be the intended theme of the story? In other words, what message is the author relaying to the reader?

7. With your partner... ...discuss the following question: In Box 11 – Discuss: What do you believe to be the intended theme of the story? In other words, what message is the author relaying to the reader? When you are finished, hand in your filled-in chart to me. Don’t forget your name! 