Footprints ch-7(the necklace)

The Necklace

Summary:-

The Necklace was written by Guy de Maupassant. He was a famous 19th century author, popularly remembered for his short stories based on real-life situations. This fictional short story is about a pretty lady, Matilda Loisel who lived in a small yet cosy flat with her husband. He worked as a clerk in the office of the Board of Education and loved his wife very much. They were not so well-off to be able to have a luxurious lifestyle. They led a simple life. Matilda was unhappy about her condition and always desired to be rich. She often felt disappointed and brooded about her financial condition for not having a huge mansion to live in and riches to splurge. She always desired to wear beautiful dresses with matching jewellery, but she had none of it.

One fine day, Mme Loisel’s husband brought her an invitation to a grand ball party at the Minister’s residence. He expected his wife to be excited upon seeing the invitation letter. On the contrary, when his wife saw the invite she expressed her resentment over it and threw the letter aside and started sobbing over her condition. When asked, she complained of not having a pretty dress to wear on such a grand occasion. She wanted to look beautiful and well-groomed at the party such that everyone should admire her. Feeling pity for Matilda, her loving husband gave her all his savings of four hundred francs to buy a beautiful dress. He had saved that amount for buying a rifle for himself, but gave the money to his wife to buy her dress.

Soon, the week of the grand party approached. Matilda seemed to be anxious again. This time she felt that she didn’t have any matching jewellery to pair with her lovely dress. To this, her husband suggested she request her friend, Mme Jeanne Forestier for a neck-piece. Matilda went to Jeanne’s house immediately and borrowed a sparkling diamond necklace.

Mme Loisel went to the ball party with her husband and was happy about her appearance. She was elated that she was successful in garnering attention of the attendees in the reception. They enjoyed a gala time at the party. Soon, they were ready to head back home in the wee hours of the morning. When they reached home, Matilda realised that the necklace was missing around her neck. She and her husband were panic-stricken that it might have fallen in the cab which they had boarded while returning from the party. Her husband immediately went to search the streets just in case it might have fallen there, but to no avail.

Soon after, he approached the police and put up an advertisement in the newspapers offering a reward, but all went in vain. With no option left, Matilda’s husband asked her to write a letter to Mme Forestier and mention that the clasp had broken and she would return it once repaired. In the meantime, they had successfully found a replica of the necklace and decided to replace it with the old one. However, the new necklace was very expensive and cost thirty-six thousand francs. Matilda’s father-in-law had left eighteen thousand francs for his son. They decided to borrow the rest of the money to buy the expensive necklace. They bought the necklace with all the money they had and borrowed funds.

In the next few years, their condition worsened as their lives took a drastic turn due to the huge loan. They moved to a smaller place to live in and Matilda did all the household chores by herself. Her husband worked odd hours in multiple jobs to repay the loan. Ten years passed and with that their appearances also changed due to extreme work load. One day, Matilda met Mme Jeanne Forestier who couldn’t identify her as she looked weary and aged. Mme Loisel revealed the truth to her friend how she and her husband were left in ruins for repaying the loan of the expensive necklace. Hearing this, Mme Forestier was stunned and told her that the necklace that she gave her for the ball party was a fake necklace that was worth not more than five hundred francs.

Conclusion of The Necklace

In the chapter – The Necklace focuses that one should be content and satisfied with their belongings and not crave for expensive items that are not within their economical capabilities. Extreme desire for lavish items leads to unhappiness and loss of peace of mind.

Question:-

Extract Based Questions

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.

One evening her husband returned elated bearing in his hand a large envelope. ‘Here’, he said, “here is something for you.”

(a) Why was the husband elated?

(b) What was the reaction from ‘you’?

(d) What is the antonym of ‘elated’?

Answer:

(a) The husband was elated as he brought home an invite to the Minister’s residence. He knew it would make his wife happy.

(b) ‘You’ or his wife, unexpectedly, was not the least happy and she made her displeasure very obvious.

(d) Its antonym is ‘sad’.

Question 2.

He threw around her shoulders that modest wraps they had carried whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She wished to hurry away…

(a) What precedes these fines?

(b) ‘She’ wished to hurry away. Why?

(d) What is the opposite of ‘poverty’?

Answer:

(a) These lines follows Matilda’s success at the ball where she was idolised. Her beauty and elegance was praised by everyone.

(b) She, ‘Matilda’ did not wish to shatter the illusion of her grandeur that she had so successfully managed to convey others by putting on such a shabby wrap. So, she wished to hurry away to escape the notice of the rich women.

(d) Its opposite is ‘affluence’.

Question 3.

She learned the odious work of a kitchen… she seemed old now. She had become strong, hard woman, the crude woman of a poor household.

(a) Who seemed old now? .

(b) What had made her ‘crude’?

(d) What part of speech is ‘crude’ in the extract?

Answer:

(a) Matilda seemed old now.

(b) Ten long years of poverty, and a constant struggle and strife for survival had made her ‘crude’.

(d) It is an adjective.

Question 4.

Mme Forestier was touched and took both her hands as she replied, “Oh! My poor Matilda! Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs.” [CBSE2015]

(a) Why was Mme Forestier touched?

(b) “Mine were false.” What does ‘mine’ refer to in these words?

(d) What is the opposite of ‘poor’?

Answer:

(a) Mme Forestier was touched by Matilda’s plight which could have been avoided if only Matilda had told the truth.

(b) ‘Mine’ refers to the diamond necklace that Mme Forestier had lent to Matilda.

(d) Its opposite is ‘rich’.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

What would Matilda often dream of?

Answer:

Matilda would often dream of all the delicacies, luxuries, elegant dinners, marvellous dishes, rich silver, beautiful dresses, jewels, adoration and a life of glory. She would escape into her dreams from the dullness of her very humble existence.

Question 2.

Why did Matilda throw the invitation spitefully?

Answer:

Matilda was simply displeased when her husband showed the invitation. She felt humiliated and threw the invitation spitefully as she had nothing beautiful enough to wear to such a grand gathering.

Question 3.

Describe Mme Loisel’s success at the ball.

Do you think M Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

Mme Loisel was the centre of attention at the ball. Her beauty, her grace, her joy and the gorgeous smile captivated all. Men sought to be presented to her. She danced happily at her conquest of all.

Question 4.

What excuse did Loisels put up to explain the delay in returning the necklace?

Answer:

Loisels had lost the necklace and needed time to find an identical one. Thus, Loisels wrote a letter to Mme Forestier with an excuse that the clasp of the necklace was broken and they needed time to get it repaired.

Question 5.

How did Loisels manage to pay for the necklace?

Answer:

The necklace cost Loisels thirty six thousand francs. Loisel had to chip in his entire inheritance of eighteen thousand francs and the rest he had to borrow from the usurers.

Question 6.

How did Mme Loisel now know the life of necessity?

Answer:

To pay the debt of eighteen thousand francs, Loisels let go of their decent living. They lived in impoverished neighbourhood. Matilda had to cook, clean, wash, mend, bring water and bargain with the butcher and grocer. Her husband worked day and night to save every sou.

Question 7.

Describe Mme Loisel after ten years.

Answer:

Ten years of poverty and hardship steal away Matilda’s youth and beauty. She becomes a strong and hard woman, who is poorly dressed with untidy hair and red ragged hands.

Question 8.

What do you think of M Loisel as a husband? Cite instances from the text to support your answer.

Answer:

M Loisel was a caring and supportive husband. Fie sacrificed his wishes and the money he inherited from his father for his wife.

Question 9.

Why was Matilda’s friend astonished to see her at the end of the story?

Why did Jeanne not recognise her friend, Matilda?

Answer:

Jeanne, Matilda’s friend, could not recognise her as she seemed an old and worn out poor woman. Matilda was no longer her former beautiful and Joyous self.

Question 10.

Comment on the use of irony in the text.

How had sacrifice of Mme Loisel’s been in vain?

Answer:

The irony in the story is based on the fact that the Loisels spend 10 years of toil and frugality paying for a necklace which turns out to be a cheap imitation.

Question 1.1

How did the Loisels react when they realised that the necklace had been lost?

Answer:

Matilda Loisel became very sad when they realised that the necklace had been lost. They were sure that the loss of necklace would make their life hell because Mr Loisel was only a petty clerk and it was very difficult for him to replace necklace of diamond.

Question 12.

Why did Matilda not like to visit her rich friend?

Answer:

Matilda had inferiority complex. Whenever she visitedier rich friend she felt dejected and disappointed because of her poverty. She used to compare her lodgings to that of her friend’s. She did not have attractive dress and jewellery to adorn herself with. That is why, she did not like to visit her rich friend.

Question 13.

Why is Matilda unhappy with her life?

Answer:

Matilda is unhappy with her life because she ceaselessly, felt herself born for all delicacies and luxuries. The shabby walls, the worn chairs in her house tortured and angered her.

Question 14.

Her husband is kind and loving. Do you agree? Give examples to support your answers.

Answer:

He wants her to be happy. He spends a huge savings that he had saved for years to buy a gun for his hobby for buying a pretty dress for his wife so that she could attend a big party and enjoy it. When the costly necklace is lost, he spends all his savings and even borrow to repay it. He works day and night but never creates any ruckus with his wife.

Question 15.

What had Matilda’s husband saved the money for? Why did he then part with his savings?

Answer:

Matilda’s husband had saved a good amount of money to buy a gun for him. But when his wife refused to attend the party without a new dress, he had to give up buying the gun. He used the saved four hundred francs to buy her costume.

Question 16.

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

Answer:

Matilda’s aspiration and unrealistic dreams were the cause of her ruin. She paid due importance to materialistic things. She could have easily avoided if she had remained within her means. She was not a practical lady and had not understood her husband’s feelings.

Question 17.

What did Mme. Forestier tell Matilda about the reality of her Necklace?

Answer:

After having lost the borrowed necklace, Matilda replaced it with a diamond necklace bought for thirty-six thousand francs. But Mme Forestier told her that her necklace was false costing about 500 francs.

Question 18.

What changes came into the life of Loisels after the necklace was lost?

Answer:

They had to shift to a cheaper room and dismiss the servant. She did all the household works and shopping by herself. She fetched water, washed the floor, utensils and dirty clothes by herself. Matilda’s husband worked in the evening and late at night to pay back the debt.

Question 19.

Why was Mme Forestier shocked to hear Matilda’s story?

Answer:

One Sunday, while walking, Matilda happened to see Mme Forestier. Matilda called her, but she could not recognise Matilda because she looked much older than her age. Mme Forestier was shocked to know that Matilda had suffered so much worrying about losing her necklace of real diamonds, whereas it was false.

Question 20.

Do you think Matilda’s over-ambitious nature was the cause of her miseries?

Answer:

Yes, I do think that Matilda’s overambitious nature led to her avoidable miseries. Just to show herself a rich lady, she borrowed a necklace from her rich friend. Her miseries started when the necklace was lost by her.

Question 21.

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

Answer:

Mme. Loisel is a woman who lives in the world of dreams. She gives much value to her dreams and hence overlooks the realities of life. That is why she is always unhappy as dreams are a virtual reality and can’t be true.

Question 22.

What kind of a person is her husband?

Answer:

Her husband is a very simple and kind-hearted person. He is an ordinary man, who just like others, is caring and wants his wife to be happy.

Question 23

What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?

Answer:

After buying a pretty dress, Mme Loisel was bothered by yet another problem. She had no jewels to adorn herself with. She said she would feel inferior and have a poverty-stricken look. Her husband -” suggested that she should wear some natural flowers. However, she refused and said that there was nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in the midst of rich women.

Question 24.

How is the problem solved?

Answer:

Mme Loisel’s husband solved this problem. He told his wife to request her friend, Mme Forestier, to lend her some jewels. When she went to Mme Forestier, the latter brought a jewel case for Mme Loisel so that she could choose whichever jewels she liked.

Question 25.

What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?

Answer:

When M. and Mme Loisel realized that the necklace was missing, they tried finding out where she could have possibly lost it. They concluded that it might have been dropped in the cab they were travelling in. But they did not remember its number. So, in an attempt to find the necklace, Loisel went over the track where they had walked.

When he found nothing, he went to the police and to the cab officers. He even put an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward. Meanwhile, he asked Matilda to write a letter to Mme Forestier, explaining that she had broken the clasp of the necklace and would get it repaired and return it soon. This gave them time to find the necklace. However, they eventually decided to replace the necklace with a new one.

Question 26

How do they replace the Necklace?

Answer:

They decided to replace the necklace. They bought a new one for thirty-six thousand francs. Mr Loisel had eighteen thousand francs which his father left him. He borrowed the rest on a very high rate of interest.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions

Question 1.

Mme Loisel’s disposition invites her doom. Comment in the context of the text you’ve read.

What kind of person is Matilda Loisel?

Support your answer giving examples from the story “The Necklace”.

Answer:

Mme Loisel belongs to a family of clerks. Her existence is quite average. They live on meagre income, enough for basic needs but not to fulfil aspirations. She gets married to a clerk and is so caught up with her dreams of wealth and pleasure that she is out of touch with the truths of her real life. In order to keep up appearances just to flatter her pride, she blows up four hundred francs on a gorgeous dress. And, not contented, she goes on borrowing a necklace from her friend. And, all of this is just to impress the wealthy and the rich with her beauty and glamour (even if on loan). No doubt, her pride is flattered and her wish of fine dining, expensive dresses and jewels satisfied but at a great price. Unfortunately, the necklace has lost and the couple has to cough up their entire inheritance and borrow as well to replace it. Repayment of the debt eats away the next ten years of their youth. They live poor. All the house hold chores and cares of a life of poverty visit them. Hence, her disposition invites her doom.

Question 2.

Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend. Elucidate.

Answer:

Mme Forestier turns out to be an interesting character. She plays a very vital role in the story. As a friend to Matilda, we find her to be really genuine as she helps Matilda in the hour of her need. When Mme Loisel needs to borrow jewels, she turns to Mme Forestier. Mme Forestier does not refuse. Displaying her generosity, she opens up the entire array of her jewels for Matilda to choose from. Also, she is considerate when Loisels delay the return of the necklace. Surprisingly, at the end of the story, she concludes the entire narrative.

Without even a moment’s hesitation, she reveals to Matilda that her necklace was just a fake. She is not at all worried in the light of the fact that she may have to return the necklace. It shows her honesty. Rather, she, like a true friend, feels bad for Matilda at her unnecessary suffering. We find her sympathising with Mme Loisel. She is indeed a gem of a friend.

Question 3

Do you think the story is aptly titled? Justify your answer.

Answer:

The whole narrative of the story ‘The Necklace’ revolves around a young woman Matilda, who in her foolish pride borrows a necklace inviting misery and sorrow for herself as well as for her husband. The ‘necklace’ has lost and the Loisels fall into a tremendous debt. They spend the next ten years of their life in paying debt for the replacement of the lost necklace. Their entire life moves around impoverished everyday saga of misery and hunger and the necklace, in fact, changes the very course of their life. Also, it is against the back drop of the necklace that Matilda’s pride and dishonesty are highlighted. At the same time, the necklace serves a twist at the end as it turns out to be a fake one. The story is, hence, most aptly titled as the necklace is, in fact, the leading character of this ironic tale of desire, the doom and the tragedy.

Question 4

A little confession would have changed the life of Matilda. Should we confess our mistakes courageously? Do you agree about above statement.

Answer:

Yes, a small mistake makes our life miserable and dark. People who are open-minded and speak the truth stay much happier. A little mistake made by Matilda changed her life completely. If Matilda had confessed that she had lost Madam Forestier’s necklace, her life would have been different. Confession could have brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to know that necklace is not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put into repay the borrowed necklace could have been saved. We all get a very important message that we should not delay in admitting our mistake.

Question 5

On inability to accept our circumstances may lead to an unhappy life. Explain with reference to the story “The Necklace”.

Answer:

We fail to recognise the situation in which we are placed but rather keep on grumbling. We become frustrated and want our life to be different. We should accept the life as it comes to us and should not keep on cribbing about unhappy circumstances. As we read the story The Necklace’ we find that Matilda is not at all happy with her husband. She had wished her life to be luxurious. It is this frustration of hers which puts her in a fix and spoils rest of her life. She does not work for solution but rather complicates the situation for her.

Question 6

‘Love is blind’ is a phrase that was justified by Monsieur Loisel in the lesson ‘The Necklace’. Substantiate the answer from the story you have read in about 100 – 120 words.

Answer:

Monsieur Loisel’s acceptance and contentment differ considerably from Matilda’s emotional outbursts and constant dissatisfaction, and though he never fully understands his wife, he does his best to please her. When Monsieur Loisel tries to appease Matilda, he does it so blindly, wanting only to make her happy. When she declares that she cannot attend the party because she has nothing to wear, he gives her money to purchase a dress. When she complains that she has no proper jewellery, he urges her to visit Madame Forestier to borrow some.

Monsieur Loisel’s eagerness and willingness to please Matilda becomes his downfall when she loses the necklace. He is the one who devises a plan for purchasing a replacement necklace and orchestrates the loans and mortgages that help them pay for it. Although the decision costs him ten years of hard work, he does not complain or imagine an alternate fate. It is as if his desires do not even exist or, at the very least, his desires are meaningless if they stand in the way of Matilda’s.

Question 7

‘The Necklace’ reveals that vanity is an evil. It may bring joy for short period but ultimately it leads to ruin. If you are placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, what would you have done? Express your views.

Answer:

No doubt, Matilda was proud and self-loving. She was very beautiful and charming and she was proud of her beauty. Because of her beauty, she thought that she was born in a family of clerks through the error of destiny. She felt that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries. She also felt that she was made for expensive frocks, jewels and other such things.

Therefore, we can conclude that Matilda was very vain and proud because of her beauty. When we read the story, we find out that she suffered because of her vanity. If I were placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, I would have valued the love of my husband. I would have not insisted on buying an expensive dress to wear to the party. There would be no question of borrowing an expensive necklace from my friend. I would have saved me and my husband from all hardships which the Loisels went through.

Question 8

What changes came in the lifestyle of Matilda after she had lost the necklace?

Answer:

To return the borrowed money Mr and Mrs Loisel suffered for ten long years. First, they sent away the maid servant. Then they changed their lodging and rented some rooms. Now Matilda learnt heavy cares of household life, she had to do the difficult chores of her kitchen. She had to wash dishes, greasy pots and stew pans. She had to use her rosy nails to wash the greasy pots and the bottoms of the stew pans.

She had to wash dirty clothes and to hang them on the line to dry. Then each morning she had to take down the refuse to the street. She also had to bring up the water for daily use. She had to stop at each landing to catch her breath. She did not have much money so she haggled with the shopkeepers to get reduction in prices.

Once she was very beautiful and used to wear beautiful dresses. Now she seemed old. Now she looked like a common household woman. She had badly dressed hair and dirty dresses. Her hands were red and she spoke in a loud tone. She washed the floors with large pailg of water.

Question 9

“At the end of the ten years, they had restored all”. What had Matilda and her husband restored and at what cost?

Answer:

Matilda lost the necklace borrowed from her wealthy friend Mme Forestier. They desperately tried to find out the necklace but in vain. Finally they decided to replace the necklace with a new one. M. Loisel spent his entire savings and even borrowed a loan to buy the? necklace.

To repay the debt, they cut down their expenses. They sent away the maid and reported some rooms in an attic. They cut down their expenses. M. Loisel worked evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order, and nights he often did copying at five sous a page. This life lasted for ten years. At the end of ten years, they had restored all.

Question 10

Matilda would not have suffered much if she had confessed the loss of necklace. Do you think our mistakes become more serious if we try to cover them?

Answer:

Confession could have brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to know that necklace is not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put into repay the borrowed necklace could have been saved. We all get a very important message that we should not delay in admitting our mistake.

Question 11

Our inability to accept our limitations may lead to an unhappy life. Analyze with reference to the story ‘The Necklace’.

Answer:

Question 12

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

Answer:

The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. After replacing the lost necklace with a new one, they had to repay all the money that they had borrowed to buy the new necklace. They sent away the maid and changed their lodgings. They rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda learnt the odd work of the kitchen. She washed the dishes, soiled linen, their clothes and dishcloths.

She even took down the refuse to the street each morning and brought up the water, stopping at each landing to catch her breath. She went to the grocer’s, the butcher’s, and the fruitier’s, with a basket on her arm, shopping, haggling to save her money. Loisel worked in the evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order. At night, he did copy work at five sous a page. This lasted for ten years, and at the end of the said period, they were finally able to repay their lenders.

Question 13

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

Answer:

If Matilda would have confessed to her friend she had lost her necklace, she might have been in lesser trouble than what she had to face after having replaced the necklace. Her friend would have definitely been angry with her. Most likely, she would also have asked Matilda to replace it and given her the details from where she had bought the necklace and how much it had cost her. Matilda would have thus known that the jewels in the necklace were actually not real diamonds. It would have cost her a far lesser amount to replace it. Matilda would thus have saved herself and her husband of all the trouble they went through and life would have been much better and easier for them.

Question 14

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

Answer:

If I were caught in such a situation, I would have faced it boldly. I would have gone to Mrs Forestier and made a confession. Confessing one’s mistake needs courage and I would have generated that much courage to confess my mistake. It would have saved me from the sufferings that Matilda bore for such a long time. On my confessions, Forestier would have told me the reality of the necklace. Even if it were genuine diamond necklace, she being my friend and rich, would have forgiven me.

Question 15

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?

Answer:

The characters in this story speak in English. No, I think this is not their language. The names of the main characters are M and Mme Loisel, not Mr and Mrs Loisel. The currency used it Franc. It all suggests that their language is French.

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Footprints ch-7(the necklace)

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