Class 10 English Notes Chapter 7 (The Necklace) – Foot Prints Without Feet Supp. Reader Book

Alright students, let's focus on Chapter 7, 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant. This is a poignant short story with significant themes often relevant for competitive examinations. Pay close attention to character motivations, plot progression, and the underlying message.

Chapter 7: The Necklace - Detailed Notes for Exam Preparation

Author: Guy de Maupassant (A 19th-century French author known for his realistic and often pessimistic short stories)

Setting: Paris, France (Late 19th Century)

Characters:

1. Mathilde Loisel:

   • Protagonist: The story revolves around her.
   • Initial Character: Pretty, charming, but born into a family of clerks. Feels she was "born for all delicacies and luxuries." Deeply dissatisfied with her simple life and modest home. Dreams constantly of wealth, elegant dinners, expensive clothes, and jewels. Vain and materialistic. Ashamed of her poverty.
   • Motivation: Her primary motivation is the desire to appear wealthy and belong to a higher social class.
   • Transformation: After losing the necklace, she undergoes a drastic physical and emotional transformation. She becomes strong, hard-working, and learns the reality of poverty and drudgery. Loses her beauty and charm due to years of hard labour.
   • Flaw: Her inability to accept her reality, her pride, and her dishonesty (not confessing the loss immediately) lead to her downfall.

2. Monsieur Loisel:

   • Mathilde's Husband: A minor clerk at the Ministry of Education.
   • Character: Content with his simple life, kind, loving, and accommodating towards his wife. Sacrifices his own desires (like buying a gun for hunting) and savings for Mathilde's happiness (buying her dress).
   • Role: Represents practicality and contentment, contrasting with Mathilde's dissatisfaction. He bears the burden of the debt alongside Mathilde, working extra jobs and making significant sacrifices. Loyal and responsible, though perhaps weak in confronting Mathilde's initial demands or suggesting honesty after the loss.

3. Madame Jeanne Forestier:

   • Mathilde's Friend: Wealthy school friend of Mathilde.
   • Role: Acts as a catalyst for the central conflict. Lends the necklace to Mathilde. Represents the wealth and social status Mathilde desires.
   • Character: Appears kind and generous initially. Her final revelation about the necklace being fake highlights the story's central irony. She is unaware of the hardship the Loisels endured.

Plot Summary:

1. Dissatisfaction: Mathilde Loisel constantly laments her modest life and dreams of luxury.
2. The Invitation: M. Loisel brings home an invitation to a prestigious ball hosted by the Minister of Public Instruction, hoping to please Mathilde.
3. The Dress and The Necklace: Mathilde is initially upset as she has nothing suitable to wear. M. Loisel sacrifices his savings (400 francs) for her dress. Still unhappy without jewellery, she borrows a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Mme. Forestier.
4. The Ball: Mathilde is a great success at the ball – beautiful, elegant, and admired by all. She feels triumphant.
5. The Loss: Upon returning home, Mathilde discovers the necklace is missing.
6. The Search and Replacement: The Loisels search frantically but cannot find it. They decide to replace it without telling Mme. Forestier. They find a similar necklace costing 36,000 francs. M. Loisel uses his inheritance (18,000 francs) and borrows the rest from usurers at high interest rates.
7. Ten Years of Hardship: To repay the enormous debt, the Loisels dismiss their maid, move to a smaller attic apartment, and live a life of extreme poverty and hard labour. Mathilde does all the heavy housework, bargaining, and saving. M. Loisel works multiple jobs. Mathilde loses her beauty and grace.
8. Debt Repaid: After ten long years, the debt is finally paid off. Mathilde looks old and worn.
9. The Revelation: One day, Mathilde encounters Mme. Forestier, who barely recognizes her. Mathilde, with a sense of pride in having overcome her ordeal, finally confesses the truth about losing and replacing the necklace.
10. The Irony: Mme. Forestier, shocked and moved, reveals that the original necklace was fake, made of paste, worth at most 500 francs.

Themes:

1. Appearance vs. Reality: The central theme. Mathilde's desire to appear wealthy leads to her ruin. The necklace itself symbolizes this – appearing valuable but being fake.
2. Vanity and Materialism: Mathilde's excessive pride and desire for material possessions are her fatal flaws. The story critiques obsession with wealth and status symbols.
3. Social Class and Ambition: Mathilde's unhappiness stems from her perceived mismatch between her desires and her social standing. The story explores the rigidity of social class and the destructive nature of unchecked ambition.
4. Suffering and Sacrifice: The Loisels endure immense suffering and sacrifice for ten years, highlighting the harsh consequences of their choices (pride, dishonesty).
5. Irony: The story is built on situational irony (expecting the necklace to be real, the sacrifice being for nothing) and dramatic irony (the reader might suspect the truth before Mathilde reveals it, but the final twist is shocking).
6. Honesty and Consequences: The entire tragedy could likely have been averted if Mathilde had been honest with Mme. Forestier immediately after losing the necklace.

Literary Devices:

• Irony: The ending is a classic example of situational irony.
• Symbolism: The necklace symbolizes wealth, desire, deception, and ultimately, the burden of Mathilde's vanity and dishonesty.
• Foreshadowing: Mathilde's initial dissatisfaction and obsession with appearances hint at potential trouble.
• Characterization: Maupassant uses descriptions of actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal the characters' personalities.

Key Takeaways for Exams:

• Understand Mathilde's initial character and motivations.
• Trace the sequence of events leading to the loss and replacement of the necklace.
• Analyze the changes in Mathilde's character after the loss.
• Identify and explain the major themes, especially Appearance vs. Reality and Irony.
• Recognize the significance of the final revelation.
• Understand the roles of M. Loisel and Mme. Forestier.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

1. Why was Mathilde Loisel unhappy at the beginning of the story?
   a) Her husband was unkind to her.
   b) She felt she deserved a life of luxury and wealth.
   c) She was seriously ill.
   d) She missed her wealthy parents.

2. What did Monsieur Loisel sacrifice to buy Mathilde a dress for the ball?
   a) His promotion at work.
   b) His plan to visit his family.
   c) The money saved to buy a gun for hunting trips.
   d) His inherited property.

3. From whom did Mathilde borrow the necklace?
   a) Her sister
   b) Madame Forestier
   c) The Minister's wife
   d) A jeweller

4. What was the actual cost of the replacement necklace the Loisels bought?
   a) 500 francs
   b) 18,000 francs
   c) 36,000 francs
   d) 40,000 francs

5. How long did it take the Loisels to repay the debt incurred for the necklace?
   a) One year
   b) Five years
   c) Ten years
   d) Twenty years

6. Which of the following best describes Mathilde's transformation after losing the necklace?
   a) She became even more focused on regaining her social status.
   b) She learned the harsh realities of poverty and became a hardworking woman.
   c) She blamed her husband entirely for their misfortune.
   d) She became bitter and refused to work.

7. What is the central irony of 'The Necklace'?
   a) M. Loisel received the invitation he thought would make Mathilde happy, but it led to misery.
   b) Mathilde was the most beautiful woman at the ball but lost the necklace.
   c) The Loisels spent ten years paying for a replacement necklace that was vastly more expensive than the original fake one.
   d) Mme. Forestier did not recognize Mathilde after ten years.

8. What does the necklace symbolize in the story?
   a) True friendship and generosity.
   b) The beauty of hard work and honesty.
   c) The deceptive nature of appearances and the dangers of vanity.
   d) The importance of high society connections.

9. What action could have potentially prevented the Loisels' decade of hardship?
   a) Not going to the ball at all.
   b) Mathilde confessing the loss of the necklace to Mme. Forestier immediately.
   c) Buying a cheaper dress for the ball.
   d) M. Loisel refusing to borrow money from usurers.

10. What was the actual worth of the necklace Mathilde borrowed?
    a) Exactly 36,000 francs
    b) Worthless
    c) At most 500 francs
    d) 18,000 francs

Answer Key:

1. b
2. c
3. b
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. c
8. c
9. b
10. c

Study these notes carefully, focusing on the interplay between character, plot, and theme. Understanding the irony is crucial. Good luck with your preparation!