Detailed Summary: The Necklace - English Class 10

Detailed Summary

The Necklace’ is a touching story. The story centers around Matilda Loisel. She is a very charming young lady. She is married to a clerk. She is not satisfied with her ordinary life. She wants to enjoy the comforts and luxuries of life. She is jealous of her own schoolmates, who are rich.
One day her husband gets an invitation to attend the dance party given by the Minister of Public Instruction. He thinks that she will be happy to get the invitation. But she becomes sad. She tells her husband that she has nothing to wear at the party. Her husband spends all his savings and buys a beautiful gown for her. Now she complains that she has no jewelry or ornaments. Without it, she will be considered a poor lady. Her husband advises her to borrow some ornament from her wealthy I’ fiend Madame Forestier. She goes to Madame Forestier’s house and borrows a beautiful diamond necklace
At the party, Matilda looks very beautiful 1. All the men at the party pay attention to her. They want to be introduced to her. They want to dance with her I -Even the Minister pays attention to her. She is filled with joy. She dances with pleasure. She leaves the hall l at four o’clock in the morning. When she reaches home, she stands before the mirror to praise her own beauty. But suddenly she utters a cry. She has lost the diamond necklace somewhere. Her husband goes out to see if he can find it. He searches for the necklace everywhere. But he doesn't find it. Matilda and her hush dare greatly depressed.
Matilda’s husband advises her to write to her friend that she has sent the necklace for repairs. It will give them some time to buy another necklace. They go from shop to shop to purchase a similar necklace. At last, they find a necklace similar to the lost one. ‘Ell’ e bargain is settled at 36,000 francs. Matilda’s husband borrows the money at high interest. They buy the necklace and return it to Madame Forestier. She doesn't even open the box to look at the necklace.
Now Matilda and her husband are with- her heavy debt. They work hard to pay off this debt. Their life becomes miserable. They dismiss their servant. They move to a cheap house. Matilda does all the household work herself. Her husband works in the evening ling and late at night to pay off the debt. They work hard for ten years. At last, they are able to pay off their debt. Now Matilda looks old. She is no longer charming.
One Sunday, Matilda goes out for a walk. She comes across Madame Forestier and talks to her. Madame Forestier is surprised to see Matilda so changed. Matilda tells her the story of her hard life. She tells Madame Forestier that she has suffered greatly because of her. Then she tells Madame Forestier the whole story. She tells her how she lost her necklace and bought ai lather one for thirty-six thousand francs. She tells Madame Forestier that it has taken them ten years to pay off the debts. Madame Forestier is moved to hear the whole story. Then she tells Matilda that her necklace was maile of artificial diamonds. It was worth only five hundred francs.

Short Summary

1. Pretty, Young Lady Matilda: Matilda was a pretty young lady. It seems that by an error of destiny, she was born in the family of clerks. She had no hopes of marrying a rich and important person. Hence, she married a petty clerk.
2. Simple but Unhappy: Matilda was simple but unhappy. She was pained at her miserable condition. She thought that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries of the world. Her petty economic and social status tortured and angered her. She loved only marvelous dishes, nice frocks and jewels.
3. Invitation for Dinner: One day, Mr. Loisel, her husband gave her a printed card. It was an invitation to dinner organised by the Minister of Public Instruction where her husband worked. He had hoped that his wife would be delighted to receive such an invitation. But his wife threw the invitation upon the table with contempt. She was impatient and complained that she had nothing to wear on such a great occasion. Mr. Loisel was silent now. She told him calmly that she couldn’t go there without a proper dress. He should give his card to a colleague’s wife who had a better dress than hers. He was pained to hear it. He asked what it would cost them to buy a good dress. She replied to four hundred francs. He grew pale. He had saved 400 francs to buy a gun for his hunting parties.
4. Necklace for the Ball: The day of the ball came near. Her dress was ready. She was pained to have such a ‘poverty-stricken look’. She was vexed not to have a jewel. Mr. Loisel suggested that she could wear some natural flowers. She replied “No”. It was humiliating for her to give a shabby image of her in the midst of rich ladies. Then an idea came to Mr. Loisel. He asked her to borrow jewels from her friend Madame Forestier. She uttered a cry of joy. She had not thought of it before. Madame Forestier heard her story of distress. She opened her jewel-case and asked her to choose any one item she liked. Matilda’s (Mrs. Loisel) eyes fell on a superb necklace of diamonds. Her friend willingly agreed to lend that to her. She was overjoyed and went away with the diamond necklace.
5. Great Success at Ball: Madame Loisel (Matilda) was a great success at the ball. She looked very pretty, elegant and graceful. All the men noticed her and wanted to be introduced to her.
6. Necklace Lost: They went back home. She had a full view of herself in her glory in the mirror. Suddenly, she uttered a cry. Her necklace was not around her neck. Loisel was worried. They didn’t even know the cab number. Perhaps the necklace was lost there. Mr. Loisel dressed and went out to search the necklace over the track. He went to the police, to cab offices and advertised in newspapers, offering a reward. At the end of the week, they had lost all hope. In a shop, they found that a similar diamond necklace was valued at forty thousand francs.
7. The miserable struggle to save pay off money: Mr. Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs which his father had left, lie borrowed the rest. Then he went to the shop and deposited thirty-six thousand francs and got the same kind of necklace as they had lost. Madame Forestier got the necklace back. Madame Forestier didn’t open the jewel box. Then started the horrible life of necessity of Mr. and Mrs. Loisel. She washed the dishes and linen. She did all the household works. They sent away from their maid. They rented some rooms in the attic. The husband worked in the evening at some merchant’s office. He did copying at five sous a page, at night. At the end of ten years, they paid all their debt. She realised that a necklace had changed their lives.
8. Madame Forestier’s Necklace was False: One day, Mrs. Loisel happened to meet Madame Forestier taking a walk. Madame Forestier didn’t recognise her friend. She had changed very badly. Matilda (Mrs. Loisel) confessed that she had hard days because of her necklace. Madame Forestier remembered the necklace she had given to her. But she reminded Matilda that she had already returned that necklace. Then, Mrs. Loisel told the whole story. She also told how they suffered to replace her lost necklace. Their whole life was changed. It became miserable due to that diamond necklace. Madame Forestier showed sympathy and replied, “Oh! My poor Matilda, my necklace was false” They were false and not worth over five hundred francs.

Main Points of the Story

1. Matilda (Mrs. Loisel) was a beautiful young lady who was born in a family of clerks by some error of fate.
2. She felt that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries of the world.
3. She had a rich friend, Madame Forestier, but did not like to visit her because she suffered so much in her ordinary existence.
4. Matilda liked good food served in marvelous dishes, good frocks and jewels.
5. One day, her husband gave her a printed card which was an invitation to a ball party.
6. Instead of being happy, she threw away the card on the table.
7. She thought that she didn’t have a proper dress for the ball and didn’t want to present her poverty-stricken image amid rich ladies.
8. Mr. Loisel had to sacrifice his 400 francs for the dress which he had saved to buy a gun for hunting.
9. The day of the ball came near, but Matilda put forward another demand and wanted to wear a necklace at the ball.
10. Mr. Loisel suggested that she could borrow jewels from her rich friend, Madame Forestier.
11. Mrs. Forestier placed her box of jewels before Matilda to choose, and she chose a superb diamond necklace.
12. On the day of the ball, Mrs. Loisel was a great success and looked very beautiful, elegant and graceful.
13. She attracted the attention of many men who wanted to be introduced to her.
14. Returning from the party, she wanted to have a final view of herself in her glory, in the mirror.
15. Suddenly she uttered a cry as the necklace was not around her neck.
16. Mr. Loisel went out in the night in search of the lost necklace. He went to the police, cab offices and put an advertisement in the papers.
17. At the end of the week, they lost all hopes and it was decided to buy a new necklace, similar to the lost one.
18. The similar diamond necklace that could replace the lost one valued 36000 francs.
19. Mr. Loisel had 18000 francs but had to borrow the rest of the money.
20. The new diamond necklace, which was exactly the same as the old one, was given to Madame Forestier.
21. They had to work hard and lead a miserable life to pay off the debts.
22. They sent away the maid and rented some rooms in the attic.
23. Mrs. Loisel washed dishes, clothes and lived like an ordinary woman.
24. Mr. Loisel worked at some merchants in the evenings and did copying work at five sous a page.
25. It took ten years to pay off the debts completely and the necklace had completely changed their lives.
26. On the day, when Madame Forestier met Mrs. Loisel, she couldn’t recognise her because she had changed so badly.
27. Mrs. Loisel told the whole story and also the fact that her necklace was responsible for their miserable condition.
28. Madame Forestier was touched and said, “Oh! My poor Matilda! Mine (diamonds) were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs.