1. At the beginning of the story, why is Madame Loisel unhappy with her life? Madame Loisel is unhappy with her life because she feels that she was meant for a more luxurious and elegant lifestyle than what her modest means afford her. She dreams of wealth, beauty, and social status, feeling envious of the lives of rich women. Her dissatisfaction stems from her desire for material possessions and status, which leads her to believe that she deserves more than her simple, middle-class existence.
2. What steps does Madame Loisel take to dress for the party in a way she feels is appropriate? To prepare for the party, Madame Loisel borrows a beautiful dress from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier. Feeling that her outfit is still lacking, she then borrows a stunning diamond necklace from Madame Forestier to complete her look. This careful selection of attire and accessories is an attempt to fit into the glamorous world she longs to be a part of.
3. What does Monsieur Loisel do to pay for the replacement necklace? After Madame Loisel loses the borrowed necklace, Monsieur Loisel sacrifices his savings and takes on additional debt to purchase a replacement necklace. They end up spending ten years repaying the loans they incurred, living in poverty and hardship to fulfill their obligation to pay back the cost of the necklace.
4. What does Madame Loisel learn about the borrowed necklace at the end of the story? At the end of the story, Madame Loisel learns that the original necklace she borrowed was actually a fake, made of paste jewels, and worth very little. This revelation underscores the irony of her sacrifices and the futility of her desire for wealth and status, as she spent a decade in hardship for something that was not what it seemed.
5. To confirm your understanding, write a brief summary of "The Necklace." "The Necklace," written by Guy de Maupassant, tells the story of Madame Loisel, a woman who longs for a more affluent life than her modest means provide. When invited to a prestigious ball, she borrows a beautiful necklace from her wealthy friend to appear glamorous. Unfortunately, she loses the necklace and, to pay for its replacement, she and her husband endure ten years of hard work and poverty. In the end, Madame Loisel discovers that the original necklace was a fake, leading to a poignant lesson about the shallow nature of appearances and the true cost of vanity and aspirations for a higher social standing.