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    7. The Necklace - Class 10 - Footprints

    Updated: Jun 8

    Author: Guy de Maupassant 

    Genre: Realistic Fiction / Irony / Social Commentary

    Textbook: Footprints Without Feet 

    Mind Map (Click on the panel to expand)

    Listen to a quick Hindi audio summary below for better understanding.

    📝 Summary


    Mathilde Loisel, a beautiful young woman born into a modest family, always dreams of luxury and wealth. She is dissatisfied with her simple life and constantly imagines a grand lifestyle. Her husband, a clerk, is content and supportive but cannot afford to provide her the life she desires.


    One day, her husband brings home an invitation to a prestigious ball. Mathilde becomes upset because she does not have an elegant dress or jewelry. Her husband uses his savings to buy her a new gown, and she borrows a beautiful diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.


    At the ball, Mathilde shines with grace and charm. But after returning home, she realizes she has lost the necklace. Too ashamed to confess the truth, the couple decides to replace it with a similar one. They borrow a large sum of money and spend ten years in poverty repaying the debt.


    When Mathilde finally meets Madame Forestier and tells her the truth, she is shocked to hear that the necklace was a fake, worth only a few hundred francs.


    👤 Character Sketches

    Mathilde Loisel

    • Pretty, charming, but materialistic

    • Dissatisfied with her modest lifestyle

    • Longs for wealth and admiration

    • Too proud to admit the truth

    • Learns a harsh lesson through suffering

    • Symbol of false pride and the burden of appearances


    Monsieur Loisel (Her Husband)

    • Clerk in the Board of Education

    • Simple, caring, and content with life

    • Sacrifices his comfort for his wife

    • Works hard and remains loyal

    • Represents honesty and selflessness


    Madame Forestier

    • Wealthy and generous

    • Lends the necklace without hesitation

    • Symbol of irony—her fake necklace caused real hardship

    • Shocked by the truth but not arrogant


    ✨ Literary Devices

    Device

    Example / Function

    Irony

    The entire plot hinges on the necklace being fake.

    Foreshadowing

    Mathilde’s obsession with appearance hints at the outcome.

    Symbolism

    The necklace represents illusion and social pressure.

    Imagery

    The ball, dress, and necklace are vividly described to reflect Mathilde’s dreams.

    Realism

    The story realistically portrays middle-class struggles and desires.


    📖 Title Justification

    The title The Necklace is symbolic and ironic. The entire story revolves around this one object—a necklace that seems valuable but is actually fake. It represents how appearances can be deceptive and how pride can blind people to the truth. It becomes the cause of the protagonist’s downfall, making the title highly apt.


    ✅ One-Mark Questions (Q&A Format – Full Sentences)

    Q1. Why was Mathilde unhappy with her life? 

    👉 Mathilde was unhappy because she believed she deserved a life of luxury and wealth, but was married to a modest clerk.


    Q2. What did Mathilde borrow from Madame Forestier? 

    👉 Mathilde borrowed a diamond necklace to wear to the ball.


    Q3. How did Mathilde lose the necklace? 

    👉 She lost the necklace while returning home from the ball.


    Q4. How long did it take the Loisels to repay their debt?

     👉 It took them ten years of hard labor and poverty to repay the debt.


    Q5. What shocking truth did Madame Forestier reveal at the end?

     👉 She revealed that the original necklace was fake and not worth much.


    ✅ Three-Mark Questions

    Q1. How did Mathilde’s life change after losing the necklace? 

    👉 Mathilde and her husband had to borrow a large sum of money to replace the necklace. They dismissed their maid, shifted to a poorer area, and worked tirelessly for ten years to repay the debt. Mathilde lost her beauty and charm due to a hard life.


    Q2. Why is the ending of the story considered ironic? 

    👉 The ending is ironic because Mathilde endured ten years of poverty for a necklace that turned out to be fake. The truth, if revealed early, could have saved her a decade of suffering.


    Q3. How does Maupassant portray the social divide in the story? 

    👉 Maupassant highlights the gap between the rich and the poor through Mathilde’s longing to be part of the elite and her shame about her real status. Her desire to appear wealthy drives the entire conflict.


    🧠 Value-Based Question

    Q. What life lessons can we learn from Mathilde’s experience in The Necklace? 

    👉 The story teaches us that honesty is better than pride, and pretending to be what we are not can have serious consequences. It also reminds us to value what we have, rather than chasing false appearances. Contentment, truth, and humility are important in life.


    END


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