The Necklace (Paper 2)

Question 1

Keywords

Answer 1

• Fake
• Pretend to be someone else
• Money
• Lies

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

Maupassant lived in a time when women had few rights, including the vote. The role of women was to be subservient to men and to obey them. Women were unable to have their independence and they were expected to marry and produce children. Many women felt trapped at the time and they were not free to have career paths. Women controlled the social status of their family, which was as important a role as the men earning the money. Mathilde would have been trying to impress her friends with the expensive necklace.

Question 3

Ideas and perspectives

Answer 3

Madame Mathilde Loisel was born into a lower-middle-class family but she aspires for a better a life. After marrying a low-paid clerk, he aims to please his wife and manages to receive an invitation for the Ministry of Education party. Embarrassed that she has nothing to wear, her husband sacrifices the hunting rifle that he was going to buy and gives his wife 400 francs. Matilde buys a dress but this is not enough for her and her greed makes her desire more. She wants some jewellery and she borrows a necklace from a friend (Madame Jeanne Forestier); however, at the party, it goes missing from her neck. Mathilde shops for a extremely expensive replacement that she cannot afford. The couple sell all their belongings to pay for it.

Question 4

Key quotations

Answer 4

• She had no fine dresses, no jewellery, nothing
• looking highly pleased with himself -or- The words died in this throat. He was totally disconcerted and dismayed…
• sad, worried, anxious
• He went, called at, he advertised, tried, waited
• Grim poverty which stood ready to pounce

Question 5

She had no fine dresses, no jewellery, nothing (analysis)

Answer 5

Triplet stress lack of material wealth; hyperbole indicates melodramatic

Question 6

looking highly pleased with himself -or- The words died in this throat. He was totally disconcerted and dismayed… (analysis)

Answer 6

Husband depicted as loving and attentive-contrast to wife’s selfishness encourages reader to dislike her

Question 7

sad, worried, anxious (analysis)

Answer 7

A syndetic list - endless, unhappiness, sploit

Question 8

He went, called at, he advertised, tried, waited (analysis)

Answer 8

Proactivity contrasts with passive actions

Question 9

Grim poverty which stood ready to pounce (analysis)

Answer 9

Personification- attacked by poverty