“The Necklace” Worksheet
I. LITERARY TERMS: Apply each term to the story.
Describe the setting ____________________________________________________________________
Who is the protagonist _________________________________________________________________
Describe the mood of the story:____________________________________________________
Who is the narrator? From what point of view is the story told? _______________________________
What is the theme of the story?_______________________________________________
II. QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions.
1. Why did M. Loisel expect his wife to be pleased to receive the invitation from the Minister of
Education?
2. Describe Mme Loisel’s reaction on reading the invitation.
3. Why had M. Loisel been saving 400 Francs?
4. Compare and contrast the life of Mme. Loisel before and after the disappearance of the necklace.
5. Why was Mme Loisel anxious to hurry away from the ball?
6. What efforts were made to find Mme Forestier’s necklace?
7. Describe in your own words how the Loisels’ life changed after they had paid for the new necklace.
8. What was Mme Forestier reaction when seeing Mme Loisel before she figured out who she was?
9. What was Mme Forestier’s reaction when the necklace was returned?
10. Do you think Mme Loisel recognized good quality jewelry? Give reasons.
11. Why was Mathilde unhappy with her life at the opening of the story?
12. Do you think M. Loisel enjoyed the ball? Give reasons to support your answer.
13. How did M. Loisel contribute to the cost of the new necklace?
III. Characterization: describe the characters listed below.
1. Madame Loisel:
Direct characterization:
2. Madame Forstier:
Direct characterization:
Indirect characterization:
3. Monsieur Loisel:
Direct characterization:
Indirect characterization
“The Necklace” Worksheet
I. LITERARY TERMS: Apply each term to the story.
Describe the setting Paris, possibly 1880s (was written during this time), lives in an average house with
worn walls, worn chairs, etc. Mme Forestier’s house, Ballroom, coach,
Who is the protagonist: Madame (Mme) Mathilde Loisel
Describe the mood of the story: ashamed, dissatisfied, discontented, envious, bitter
Who is the narrator? From what point of view is the story told? Third person limited (Mme Loisel in 3rd
person)
What is the theme of the story? Be happy with who you are and what you have. Don’t covet what others
have. Things aren’t always what they seem
II. QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions.
1. Why did M. Loisel expect his wife to be pleased to receive the invitation from the Minister of
Education?
He expected her to be excited because the ball was the big event of the moment. He says that he had a
difficult time securing an invitation, so he must have been excited to surprise her with the invite.
2. Describe Mme Loisel’s reaction on reading the invitation.
After reading the invitation, Mme Loisel immediately acts like a spoiled brat as she “petulantly” throws
the invitation “across the table.”
3. Why had M. Loisel been saving 400 Francs?
He’s been saving the 400 Francs to buy a gun (for sport).
4. Compare and contrast the life of Mme. Loisel before and after the disappearance of the necklace.
Before the disappearance she seems to live a middle class lifestyle. Indicators of not actually being poor
include a husband with a decent job, being able to be a housewife, and a housekeeper. But, she is
completely dissatisfied. After losing the necklace she truly lives in poverty. She no longer can afford a
housekeeper and has to do her own housework and grocery shopping (the horror!). She probably hardly
ever sees her husband as well, since he works evenings to earn extra income.
5. Why was Mme Loisel anxious to hurry away from the ball?
Mme Loisel didn’t want others to see her in her “normal” clothes (no furs, etc).
6. What efforts were made to find Mme Forestier’s necklace?
Mme Loisel doesn’t actually “do” anything to find the necklace. M Loisel does the footwork to retrace
steps and even offers rewards for the return of the necklace.
7. Describe in your own words how the Loisels’ life changed after they had paid for the new necklace.
The Loisels became working class citizens who truly lived a difficult life.
8. What was Mme Forestier reaction when seeing Mme Loisel before she figured out who she was?
Mme Forestier didn’t even know who Mme Loisel was. It seems like she wouldn’t dream of associating
with someone who is working class.
9. What was Mme Forestier’s reaction when the necklace was returned?
Mme Forestier seemed a little annoyed that Mme Loisel took so long to return her necklace.
10. Do you think Mme Loisel recognized good quality jewelry? Give reasons.
Mme Losiel doesn’t seem to recognize good quality jewelry. She passes over numerous necklaces and
stops when she finds what she believes to be a diamond necklace. It is a fairly cheap fake.
11. Why was Mathilde unhappy with her life at the opening of the story?
Mathilde believed that she deserved more, actually the finest, because she was pretty and charming.
12. Do you think M. Loisel enjoyed the ball? Give reasons to support your answer.
M Loisel didn’t seem to particularly enjoy the ball. Evidence to support this would be that he dozed in a
small room waiting for Mme Loisel from midnight until 4 am.
13. How did M. Loisel contribute to the cost of the new necklace?
M. Loisel gave his entire inheritance of 18,000 francs. He then signed all of the promissory notes for the
remaining debt. He is also the only person that takes on an extra job.
III. Characterization: describe the characters listed below.
1. Madame Loisel:
Direct characterization: pretty, charming, suffers being middle class
2. Madame Forstier:
Direct characterization: wealthy
Indirect characterization: generous, snobby, impatient
3. Monsieur Loisel:
Direct characterization: likes to hunt for sport, is a clerk
Indirect characterization: loves his wife immensely, is a problem-solver, isn’t entirely honest
IV. Complete a STEAL chart for Madame Loisel (indirect characterization)
Complete STEAL chart needed