English Language A | The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant

Welcome to Your Study Guide for "The Necklace"

Hello future English Language star! This chapter, "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, is one of the most important prose texts in your Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology. It’s a powerful, concise story that is perfect for practising your analysis of language, structure, and theme.

Don's worry if it seems challenging at first. We are going to break down the story's big ideas and clever literary techniques into simple, manageable pieces. Let’s dive in and unlock the secrets of this fantastic short story!

Quick Review: Why is this story important for the exam?

• It showcases incredible use of irony and symbolism.
• It allows you to discuss how context (19th Century French society) influences characters and plot.
• The author’s deliberate choice of words creates strong pathos (pity) and suspense.

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Section 1: Context and The Literary Movement

H5: Understanding Guy de Maupassant and Realism

To truly understand "The Necklace," you must understand when and where it was written.

Context 1: 19th Century France (Social Class)

In the late 1800s in Paris, society was strictly divided. Your class determined everything: who you married, where you lived, and even your dreams.
The Loisel family represents the lower middle class – they are comfortable but not rich. Mathilde’s suffering stems entirely from her yearning to be part of the upper class.

Context 2: Realism

Maupassant was a master of the Realist movement.

What is Realism?
It is literature that aims to depict life as it really is, without romanticising or exaggerating the plot. Realist writers focused on ordinary people, everyday struggles, and the harsh consequences of realistic mistakes.

Analogy: If Romantic novels are like fairy tales, Realist novels are like detailed newspaper reports – often focusing on the uncomfortable truth.

Key Takeaway: Maupassant chose Realism to show how a small act of vanity (borrowing jewellery) can lead to a decade of genuine, difficult poverty.

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Section 2: Summary and Key Plot Breakdown

Before we analyse the language, we must be absolutely certain about the narrative flow.

H4: Step-by-Step Plot Outline

1. The Setting and Desire: We meet Mathilde Loisel, who is unhappy with her modest life. She constantly dreams of wealth, luxury, and social status, resenting her lack of elegant clothes and jewels.
2. The Invitation: Monsieur Loisel secures an invitation to an exclusive Ministry ball. Instead of being thrilled, Mathilde is upset because she has nothing suitable to wear.
3. The Loan: M. Loisel sacrifices money he had saved for a hunting rifle so Mathilde can buy a new dress. To complete her outfit, Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.
4. The Triumph and the Loss: Mathilde is the most beautiful woman at the ball. She feels admired and fulfilled. However, when she returns home, she discovers the necklace is gone.
5. The Cover-Up: The Loisels search frantically, but fail. They decide they must replace it without telling Mme Forestier.
6. The Sacrifice: They find an identical replacement necklace costing 40,000 francs. They use M. Loisel’s small inheritance and take out huge, crippling loans to pay the 36,000 francs difference.
7. The 10 Years of Poverty: The Loisels spend the next ten years paying off the debt. They dismiss their maid, move to a miserable attic apartment, and Mathilde works relentlessly, ageing rapidly and losing her beauty.
8. The Revelation (The Climax): After the debt is finally paid, Mathilde runs into Mme Forestier, who is still young and elegant. Mathilde tells her the whole story. Mme Forestier reveals the shocking truth: "Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was false. It was worth five hundred francs at most!"

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Section 3: Character Analysis – Motivations and Roles

H4: Analyzing the Three Key Players

When analyzing characters in prose, ask yourself: What motivates them? How do they change (or not change)?

Mathilde Loisel: The Dreamer and The Victim

Motivation: Vanity, envy, and the desperate desire for social recognition.
Role: The tragic protagonist. She is consumed by materialism.

• Initial State: She is charming and pretty, but her mind is filled with "visions of Arabian draperies and costly furniture." This use of descriptive imagery shows her internal obsession.
• The Change: The ten years of hardship transform her physically. The author uses contrast – Mathilde becomes "the woman of the people," rough, strong, and coarse. This contrast between the glamorous young woman and the impoverished old woman powerfully illustrates the consequences of her actions.

Did you know? The author doesn't name Mathilde’s first name until after the tragic event, often referring to her just as "the girl" or "the wife," suggesting her identity is secondary to her social status.

Monsieur Loisel: The Sacrifice

Motivation: To please his wife; simple contentment.
Role: The supportive, long-suffering husband; he acts as a foil (contrast) to Mathilde.

• M. Loisel is genuinely happy with their life and finds "joy" in simple things, like having dinner ready.
• He willingly gives up his savings (for the rifle) and then sacrifices a decade of his life to pay for Mathilde's mistake. His actions highlight Mathilde’s selfishness, even though she is the central figure.

Madame Forestier: The Symbol of Falsehood

Motivation: Simple generosity and friendship (she lends the necklace easily).
Role: The catalyst and the deliverer of the final ironic twist.

• She represents the ease of the wealthy class. Her final revelation shows that true wealth (unlike Mathilde’s appearance) does not need to be flashy or real.
• Her initial kindness is contrasted sharply with the tremendous, unnecessary suffering Mathilde experiences.

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Section 4: Key Themes – The Big Ideas

Themes are the underlying messages or morals of the story. These are vital for achieving high analysis marks.

H4: Theme 1: Appearance vs. Reality (Symbolism)

This is the central theme. The entire story hinges on the difference between how things look and how they actually are.

• Mathilde’s Appearance: She appears beautiful and elegant at the ball, but in reality, she is poor and deeply unhappy.
• The Necklace’s Appearance: It looks like priceless diamonds, but in reality, it is cheap paste jewellery.
• The Consequences: The Loisels suffer 10 years of *real* poverty to replace a *false* jewel. Maupassant uses this contrast to critique a society obsessed with outward show.

Symbolism of the Necklace

The necklace is the most important symbol in the text.

It symbolises:
1. The illusions of wealth and status.
2. Mathilde's destructive vanity.
3. The heavy burden of debt and deception.

H4: Theme 2: The Power of Irony and Consequences

Irony is the secret weapon of this story. Irony is when the outcome is completely contrary to what was expected.

Maupassant uses situational irony, which is when the difference between what is expected to happen and what actually happens is huge and shocking.

The Irony Explained Step-by-Step:

1. Expectation: The necklace is a valuable heirloom. The Loisels replacing it shows noble sacrifice.
2. Reality: The necklace was worthless. The sacrifice was completely meaningless.
3. The Result: The Loisels ruined their lives for no reason, enduring ten years of *genuine* hardship to replace a *fake* object intended to give them an *illusory* night of happiness.

This final twist (the dénouement) is what makes the story so powerful and heartbreaking (it evokes pathos – pity).

H4: Theme 3: Materialism and Envy

The story is a strong warning against allowing possessions to define happiness. Mathilde believes that beautiful things (materialism) are the only path to contentment. Maupassant shows that this belief leads only to suffering and destruction.

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Section 5: Language, Structure, and Narrative Voice

This section is crucial for achieving high marks, as it focuses on the *how* – how the author uses specific techniques to achieve his effects.

H4: Narrative Voice and Tone

The story is told by an Omniscient Third-Person Narrator.

• Omniscient: Means "all-knowing." The narrator can tell us exactly what Mathilde is thinking and feeling (her envy, her dreams).
• Tone: The tone is initially detached, but often judgmental of Mathilde’s vanity, before becoming deeply sympathetic (pathos) as the Loisels suffer the harsh consequences.

Example of Narrative Language:

The narrator describes Mathilde's initial misery: "She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury."

Analysis: The word "ceaselessly" emphasizes the constant nature of her unhappiness, making her initial character seem spoiled and self-pitying.

H4: Structural Features

The story’s structure is linear (it follows time chronologically), but it is divided into distinct phases that heighten the drama.

1. Rising Action: Mathilde's envy and the desire for the necklace. (Builds tension).
2. Climax (Traditional): The moment the necklace is lost. (The point of no return).
3. Falling Action: The ten years of debt and hardship. (Long, slow descent into poverty).
4. Dénouement (The Twist): The meeting with Mme Forestier and the revelation that the necklace was fake. (The moment of supreme irony that redefines the meaning of the entire story).

Maupassant dedicates a lot of space to describing the long, painful falling action (the decade of work) to emphasize how realistic and severe the consequence of one night’s vanity was.

H4: Use of Contrast and Imagery

• Contrast: The author contrasts Mathilde's brief moment of happiness at the ball with the long years of misery that follow. He also contrasts her beauty and dreams with the "heavy hands" and "rough voice" she develops later. This sharp juxtaposition (placing two things side-by-side) is key to the emotional impact.
• Imagery: Maupassant uses vivid sensory details to describe Mathilde's dreams of luxury ("silent antechambers," "fragrant, warm air"), making her desires seem tangible and understandable, even if misguided.

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Conclusion: Approaching the Exam Questions

When you are asked about "The Necklace" in the exam, remember these two steps:

1. Identify the technique: (e.g., symbolism, irony, descriptive language).
2. Explain the effect: (e.g., How does this technique make the reader feel? What message does it reinforce?)

For example: Instead of saying, "Mathilde lost the necklace," say, "Maupassant employs situational irony in the final dénouement when the Loisels discover the high price they paid for a worthless symbol, demonstrating the central theme of appearance versus reality."

You have covered all the essential components of "The Necklace." Keep practising linking your quotes to the big themes, and you will do brilliantly! Good luck!