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Class 10 Chapter -7: The Necklace

 Perspective: The story “The Necklace” is narrated from a third-person point of view, mainly showing Matilda Loisel’s thoughts and feelings.

Central Idea: 

The story highlights how false pride and materialistic desires can lead to a person’s downfall. Madame Loisel’s longing for a luxurious life results in years of hardship when she loses a borrowed necklace.

Themes 

  • Vanity & Materialism – Desire for wealth and status.
  • Pride – Fear of admitting the loss of the necklace.
  • Appearance vs Reality – The necklace seemed expensive but was fake.
  • Irony of Life – Life changes drastically due to a small incident.
  • Contentment – Importance of being happy with what you have.

 Message / Moral

  • Be satisfied with what you have.
  • Never pretend to be what you are not.
  • Honesty is better than false pride.
  • Appearance can be misleading.

Literary Devices

  • Irony – The most important device; the necklace was fake.
  • Symbolism – Necklace symbolizes wealth, status, and false pride.
  • Imagery – Descriptions of the ball, dresses, and poverty.
  • Characterization – Contrast between Mme Loisel’s desires and her husband’s simplicity.
  • Foreshadowing – Her unhappiness hints at future trouble.

Title Justification: The title “The Necklace” is appropriate because the entire plot revolves around it:

  • It symbolizes Mme Loisel’s desires.
  • Losing it changes her life completely.
  • The twist ending (it was fake) gives the story meaning.
    Thus, the necklace is the central object and the cause of the story’s irony.

 Characters 

Mme Matilda Loisel

  • Beautiful but dissatisfied.
  • Materialistic, proud, wants luxury.
  • Suffers for 10 years due to her pretence.

Monsieur Loisel

  • Simple, caring, supportive.
  • Sacrifices his savings and years of comfort.
  • Represents contentment and love.

Mme Forestier

  • Friend of Matilda.
  • Kind and generous.
  • Reveals the truth about the necklace being fake.

Setting

  • Paris, France, late 19th century.
  • Loisel household (simple), Ministry ball (luxurious), and years of poverty.
  • Highlights contrast between poverty vs wealth.

Tone and Mood

Tone:  Sympathetic, ironic, realistic.

Mood

  • Starts: Discontent and longing
  • Middle: Excitement and fear
  • End: Shock and pity

 PYQs (Previous Year Questions)

  1. What changes occurred in Mme Loisel’s lifestyle after losing the necklace?
    → She becomes extremely poor, works hard doing household chores, loses her beauty and elegance.
  2. How is the ending ironic?
    → The necklace they replaced with a costly one was actually fake.
  3. Why was Mme Loisel unhappy with her life?
    → She felt she deserved luxury and was born for a richer lifestyle.
  4. What role does pride play in the story?
    → Her pride stops her from telling Mme Forestier the truth.

VBQs (Value-Based Questions)

  1. What values do you learn from Monsieur Loisel?
    → Sacrifice, responsibility, contentment, love.
  2. Do you think Matilda’s suffering was justified?
    → It teaches that dishonesty and pride bring suffering.
  3. How does the story promote honesty?
    → A simple confession could have saved them from years of misery.

HOTS (Higher-Order Thinking Skills) 

  1. If Matilda had told Mme Forestier the truth immediately, how would the story change?
    → They wouldn’t face years of hardship; the truth would reveal the necklace was fake.
  2. Is Matilda a victim of society or her own choices?
    → Mostly her own choices—pride, vanity, and dissatisfaction.
  3. How does the story reflect the theme of appearance vs reality?
    → The necklace appeared real but was fake; Matilda appeared rich but was not.

 


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