The Necklace

Good morning, students. Welcome to today's English literature lesson. I am so happy to see all of you here, ready to dive into another beautiful story. Today, we are going to study Chapter 7 from your textbook Footprints Without Feet, and it is a very famous short story called "The Necklace" written by the French author Guy de Maupassant. Now, before we begin reading the story, let me tell you a little about the author so that you understand the context better.

Guy de Maupassant was born in France in the year 1850 and lived until 1893. He is considered one of the greatest short story writers in the world. He wrote about ordinary people and their lives, and his stories often have surprising endings. "The Necklace" is one of his most popular stories, and I am sure all of you will enjoy it very much.

Now, let us start reading the story together. As we go through it, I want you to pay attention to the characters, their emotions, and what happens to them. We will stop at important points and discuss the "Read and Find Out" questions that are given in your textbook. So, let us begin.

The story begins by introducing us to the main character, Matilda Loisel, whom we call Mme Loisel. Now students, listen carefully to how she is described. The story says she was one of those pretty, young ladies, born as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. What does this mean? It means that Matilda was born in a simple, ordinary family, but she was beautiful and had dreams of a much better, more luxurious life. She was like a diamond in the rough, but unfortunately, she was born in the wrong place at the wrong time, if I may say so.

The story tells us that she had no dowry, which in those days was very important for a girl to get married well. Dowry is the money or property that a bride brings to her husband's family. Without dowry, it was very difficult for a girl to marry a rich or distinguished man. So, Matilda ended up marrying a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. Her husband's name was M. Loisel. Now, students, pay attention here because this is very important for understanding the story.

Matilda was simple, meaning she was a straightforward person, but she was unhappy. Why was she unhappy? The story tells us that she suffered constantly, feeling that she was born for all the delicacies and luxuries of life. She felt that she deserved beautiful things, but she had to live in a small, shabby apartment with worn-out furniture. Can you imagine, students? She would look at her apartment and feel tortured. The walls were shabby, the chairs were worn out, and she thought about all these things day and night, and it made her angry and sad.

Now, let me ask you something. Have you ever wanted something very badly that you could not have? Maybe a new bicycle, or a smartphone, or a particular dress for a function? How did that feel? It must have been difficult, right? That is exactly how Matilda felt all the time. She was not grateful for what she had; instead, she focused on what she did not have. This is a very important point that we will discuss later.

The story says that when she sat down for dinner opposite her husband, who was happy with simple food like potpie, she would think of elegant dinners, of shining silver plates, of exquisite food served in marvellous dishes. She had no beautiful dresses, no jewellery, nothing. And she loved only those things - the luxuries of life.

Now, students, I want you to think about this. Is it wrong to want nice things? Of course not. We all want nice things. But the problem arises when we become unhappy with what we have and keep longing for more. That is exactly what happened to Matilda. She was so busy dreaming about a luxurious life that she forgot to enjoy her present life.

Matilda had a rich friend, a schoolmate from the convent where she studied. But she did not like to visit this friend because she suffered so much when she returned home after seeing her friend's luxurious life. She would cry for whole days from despair and disappointment. This shows us how deeply unhappy she was.

Now, let us look at the first "Read and Find Out" question. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel - why is she always unhappy? Based on what we have read, we can say that Mme Loisel is a person who is never satisfied with what she has. She is always longing for more. She is unhappy because she compares her life with others and feels that she deserves better. She is also proud and dreams of a life of luxury and comfort.

Now, what about her husband? Let us find out. Her husband is M. Loisel, a clerk in the Board of Education. He is a simple man who is content with little things in life. He is happy with a simple potpie for dinner. He loves his wife and wants to make her happy. When he gets an invitation to a grand party, he thinks it will make her happy. He is also willing to sacrifice his own desires, like buying a gun for hunting, to buy her a beautiful dress. He is a caring and loving husband, though he is not wealthy.

Now, one evening, her husband comes home elated, bearing a large envelope. He says, "Here, here is something for you." What could it be? It is an invitation to a grand party at the Minister of Public Instruction's residence. The invitation is for M. and Mme Loisel to attend a party on Monday evening, January 18th.

Now, students, what do you think Matilda's reaction is? Does she jump with joy? Does she thank her husband? No. Instead of being delighted, as her husband had hoped, she throws the invitation spitefully upon the table and murmurs, "What do you suppose I want with that?" Can you believe it? Her husband is shocked. He had thought she would be happy. He says, "But, my dearie, I thought it would make you happy. You never go out, and this is an occasion, and a fine one! Everybody wishes one, and it is very select; not many are given to employees. You will see the whole official world there."

But Matilda looks at him with an irritated eye and declares impatiently, "What do you suppose I have to wear to such a thing as that?" This is the problem now. She does not have a beautiful dress to wear to such a grand party. Her husband had not thought of that. He is stupefied, in dismay, at the sight of his wife weeping. He asks, "What is the matter? What is the matter?"

By a violent effort, Matilda controls her vexation and responds in a calm voice, wiping her moist cheeks, "Nothing. Only I have no dress and consequently I cannot go to this affair. Give your card to some colleague whose wife is better fitted out than I."

Now, students, what do we see here? Matilda is not grateful for the opportunity to attend a prestigious party. Instead, she is worried about what she will wear. She is more concerned about her appearance than about the opportunity itself. Her husband is grieved, but he tries to help. He says, "Let us see, Matilda. How much would a suitable costume cost, something that would serve for other occasions, something very simple?"

Matilda thinks for some seconds, thinking of a sum that she could ask for without bringing with it an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the economical clerk. Finally, she says in a hesitating voice, "I cannot tell exactly, but it seems to me that four hundred francs ought to cover it."

Now, students, four hundred francs was a lot of money in those days. And what does her husband do? He turns a little pale because he had saved just this sum to buy a gun that he might be able to join some hunting parties the next summer, with some friends who went to shoot larks on Sunday. He had been saving for this for a long time. But what does he do? He says, "Very well. I will give you four hundred francs. But try to have a pretty dress." He gives up his own dream to make his wife happy. This shows how much he loves her.

Now, let us move on to the next part. The day of the ball approaches and Mme Loisel seems sad, disturbed, anxious. Her husband asks her what is the matter, and she says she is vexed not to have a jewel, nothing to adorn herself with. She says she will have such a poverty-stricken look and she would prefer not to go to the party.

Her husband suggests that she can wear some natural flowers, which were very fashionable in that season. But Matilda is not convinced. She says, "No, there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in the midst of rich women." She is more worried about what others will think of her than about enjoying the party itself.

Then her husband has an idea. He cries out, "How stupid we are! Go and find your friend Mme Forestier and ask her to lend you her jewels." This is the solution to her problem.

Matilda utters a cry of joy and says, "It is true! I had not thought of that." So, the next day, she goes to her friend Mme Forestier's house and relates her story of distress. She tells her friend how she has no jewellery to wear to the party.

Now, let us see what happens at Mme Forestier's house. Mme Forestier goes to her closet, takes out a large jewel-case, brings it, opens it, and says, "Choose, my dear." Matilda sees bracelets, then a collar of pearls, then a Venetian cross of gold and jewels of admirable workmanship. She tries the jewels before the glass, but she cannot decide whether to take them or leave them. Then she asks, "Have you nothing more?"

Mme Forestier says, "Why, yes. Look for yourself. I do not know what will please you." And then, suddenly, Matilda discovers, in a black satin box, a superb necklace of diamonds. Her hands tremble as she takes it out. She places it about her throat against her dress, and she is ecstatic. Then she asks, in a hesitating voice, full of anxiety, "Could you lend me this? Only this?"

And Mme Forestier says, "Why, yes, certainly." Matilda falls upon the neck of her friend, embraces her with passion, then goes away with her treasure. She is so happy that she has found such a beautiful necklace to wear to the party.

Now, let us answer the "Read and Find Out" questions. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel? She is disturbed because she has no jewellery to wear to the party. How is the problem solved? Her husband suggests that she borrow jewellery from her friend Mme Forestier, and she does.

Now, the day of the ball arrives. And what happens? Students, listen carefully. Mme Loisel was a great success. She was the prettiest of all - elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy. All the men noticed her, asked her name, and wanted to be introduced to her. She danced with enthusiasm, intoxicated with pleasure, thinking of nothing but all this admiration, this victory so complete and sweet to her heart.

This is the highlight of her life. For one night, she is the centre of attention. She feels like a queen. All her dreams have come true, at least for one night. She is beautiful, she is admired, she is happy.

But now, students, something terrible happens. She goes home towards four o'clock in the morning. Her husband had been half asleep in one of the little salons since midnight, with three other gentlemen whose wives were enjoying themselves very much.

He throws around her shoulders the modest wraps they had carried, whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She wishes to hurry away in order not to be noticed by the other women who were wrapping themselves in rich furs.

Loisel detains her and says, "Wait, I am going to call a cab." But she will not listen and descends the steps rapidly. When they are in the street, they find no carriage; and they begin to seek for one, hailing the coachmen whom they see at a distance.

They walk along toward the river, hopeless and shivering. Finally, they find one of those old carriages that one sees in Paris after nightfall. It takes them as far as their door and they go wearily up to their apartment. It is all over for her. And on his part, he remembers that he would have to be at the office by ten o'clock.

She removes the wraps from her shoulders before the glass, for a final view of herself in her glory. Suddenly she uttered a cry. Her necklace was not around her neck.

Now, students, can you imagine the horror of this moment? She has lost the diamond necklace! This is a disaster. Let us see what happens next.

Loisel, who is already half undressed, asks, "What is the matter?" She turns towards him excitedly and says, "I have - I have - I no longer have Mme Forestier's necklace."

He arises in dismay and says, "What! How is that? It is not possible." And they look in the folds of the dress, in the folds of the cloak, in the pockets, everywhere. They could not find it.

He asks, "You are sure you still had it when we left the Minister's house?" She says, "Yes, I felt it as we came out." He says, "But if you had lost it in the street, we should have heard it fall. It must be in the cab." She says, "Yes, it is possible. Did you take the number?" He says, "No. And you, did you notice what it was?" She says, "No."

They look at each other utterly cast down. Finally, Loisel dresses himself again and says, "I am going over the track where we went on foot, to see if I can find it." And he goes. She remains in her evening gown, not having the force to go to bed.

Toward seven o'clock her husband returns. He has found nothing. He goes to the police and to the cab offices, and puts an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward.

She waits all day in a state of bewilderment before this frightful disaster. Loisel returns in the evening, his face pale; he has discovered nothing.

He says, "Write to your friend that you have broken the clasp of the necklace and that you will have it repaired. That will give us time." She writes as he dictates.

At the end of a week, they have lost all hope. And Loisel, older by five years, declares, "We must replace this jewel."

Now, let us answer the "Read and Find Out" question. What do M. and Mme Loisel do next? They search everywhere for the necklace, they go to the police, they advertise in newspapers offering a reward, but they cannot find it. Then, to buy time, they tell their friend that the clasp is broken and they are getting it repaired. Finally, when they lose all hope, they decide to replace the necklace. How do they replace the necklace? They go to a shop in the Palais-Royal and find a chaplet of diamonds, which seems to them exactly like the one they had lost. It is valued at forty thousand francs, but they can get it for thirty-six thousand.

Now, students, let me explain something. In those days, a clerk's salary was very low. Thirty-six thousand francs was an enormous sum of money, almost impossible for them to pay. But what does Loisel do? He possesses eighteen thousand francs, which his father had left him. He borrows the rest. He makes ruinous promises, takes money from usurers and the whole race of lenders. Then he goes to get the new necklace, depositing on the merchant's counter thirty-six thousand francs. They buy the necklace to replace the one they lost.

Now, when Mme Loisel takes back the jewels to Mme Forestier, the latter says to her in a frigid tone, "You should have returned them to me sooner, for I might have needed them." Mme Forestier does not open the jewel-box as Mme Loisel feared she would. What would she think if she should perceive the substitution? What should she say? Would she take her for a robber? Mme Loisel is very nervous, but she manages to return the necklace without any problem.

Now, students, here comes the most important part of the story. What happens after they return the necklace? Let us read.

Mme Loisel now knows the horrible life of necessity. She does her part, however, completely, heroically. It was necessary to pay this frightful debt. She would pay it. They sent away the maid, they changed their lodgings; they rented some rooms in an attic.

She learned the odious work of a kitchen. She washed the dishes. She washed the soiled linen, their clothes and dishcloths, which she hung on the line to dry; she took down the refuse to the street each morning and brought up the water, stopping at each landing to catch her breath. And, clothed like a woman of the people, she went to the grocer's, the butcher's and the fruiterer's, with her basket on her arm, shopping, haggling to the last sou of her miserable money.

The husband worked evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order, and nights he often did copying at five sous a page. And this life lasted for ten years. At the end of ten years, they had restored all.

Now, students, think about this. For ten long years, this couple worked tirelessly to pay off their debts. They had to give up their comfortable apartment and move to a small attic. They had to do all the household work themselves. They had to haggle for every penny. They had to live a life of poverty and hardship, all because of a lost necklace.

Now, let us see what happens at the end of the story. Mme Loisel seemed old now. She had become a strong, hard woman, the crude woman of the poor household. Her hair was badly dressed, her skirts were awry, her hands were red, she spoke in a loud tone, and she washed the floors with large pails of water. But sometimes, when her husband was at the office, she would seat herself before the window and think of that evening party of former times, of that ball where she was so beautiful and so flattered.

She thinks to herself, "How would it have been if she had not lost the necklace? Who knows? How singular is life, and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!"

Now, one Sunday as she was taking a walk in the Champs-Elysees to rid herself of the cares of the week, she suddenly perceived a woman walking with a child. It was Mme Forestier, still young, still pretty, still attractive. Mme Loisel was affected. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all. Why not?

She approaches her and says, "Good morning, Jeanne." Her friend does not recognise her and is astonished to be so familiarly addressed by this common personage. She stamammers, "But, Madame - I do not know - you must be mistaken—"

"No, I am Matilda Loisel."

Her friend uttered a cry of astonishment, "Oh! my poor Matilda! How you have changed!"

"Yes, I have had some hard days since I saw you; and some miserable ones — and all because of you..."

"Because of me? How is that?"

"You recall the diamond necklace that you loaned me to wear to the Minister's ball?"

"Yes, very well."

"Well, I lost it."

"How is that, since you returned it to me?"

"I returned another to you exactly like it. And it has taken us ten years to pay for it. You can understand that it was not easy for us who have nothing. But it is finished and I am decently content."

Mme Forestier stopped short. She said, "You say that you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?"

"Yes. You did not perceive it then? They were just alike."

And she smiled with proud and simple joy. Mme Forestier was touched and took both her hands as she replied, "Oh! My poor Matilda! Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs!"

Now, students, this is the twist in the story. The necklace that Matilda borrowed was not real diamonds at all. It was fake, worth only about five hundred francs. But she spent thirty-six thousand francs to replace it, and it took her ten years to pay off the debt. This is the cruel irony of the story. All her suffering, all her hardship, all those ten years of poverty, were for nothing. The necklace was not even real!

Now, let us go back to the "Think about it" questions and answer them one by one.

Question 1: The course of the Loisels' life changed due to the necklace. Comment.

Students, this is a very important question. The necklace completely changed the course of the Loisels' life. Before the necklace, they were living a simple but comfortable life. They had a maid, they had a decent apartment, and they were managing their finances reasonably well. But after losing the necklace, they had to borrow a huge sum of money, thirty-six thousand francs, to replace it. This debt took them ten years to pay off. During these ten years, they had to live in poverty, do all their own housework, and struggle financially. Matilda aged prematurely, losing all her beauty and youth. Her husband also aged and worked tirelessly. The necklace turned their lives upside down. It was a small thing, just a piece of jewellery, but it ruined their lives for ten long years. This shows how a small incident can have huge consequences in our lives.

Question 2: What was the cause of Matilda's ruin? How could she have avoided it?

Students, the cause of Matilda's ruin was her vanity and her desire to appear wealthy and beautiful. She wanted to look her best at the party, so she borrowed a necklace from her friend. But she was so careless that she lost it. If she had been more careful, she might not have lost it. But the real cause of her ruin was not just the loss of the necklace; it was her inability to be honest with her friend. When she lost the necklace, she should have confessed to her friend immediately. She should have told her the truth and asked for help. Instead, she chose to hide the truth and buy a replacement necklace without telling her friend. This led to their financial ruin.

How could she have avoided it? If she had been honest and told her friend that she had lost the necklace, her friend might have understood. After all, accidents happen. And if the necklace was as valuable as they thought, her friend might have had it insured or might have been able to afford the loss. But by trying to hide the truth and replace it secretly, she made the situation much worse. Also, if she had been content with what she had and not wanted to borrow jewellery in the first place, this whole disaster would never have happened. So, the root cause was her dissatisfaction with her life and her desire to appear something she was not.

Question 3: What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?

This is an interesting question to think about, students. If Matilda had confessed to her friend that she had lost the necklace, several things could have happened. First, her friend might have been understanding and might have forgiven her. After all, it was an accident. Second, her friend might have had the original necklace insured, or she might have been wealthy enough to absorb the loss without much difficulty. Third, Matilda and her husband would not have had to spend thirty-six thousand francs to buy a replacement. They might have had to pay something, but perhaps not as much. Fourth, they would not have had to live in poverty for ten years. Matilda would not have aged prematurely, and their lives would have been very different. So, honesty would have been the best policy in this situation. By hiding the truth, she made a bad situation worse.

Question 4: If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?

Now, students, this is a question for you to think about personally. If you were in Matilda's place, what would you do? Would you tell the truth or try to hide it? I think the best approach would be to be honest and tell your friend immediately. You could ask for time to arrange the money or ask if you could pay in installments. A true friend would understand and help you. Hiding the truth and trying to solve the problem on your own can lead to bigger problems, as we saw in the story. Also, we should learn to be content with what we have and not pretend to be something we are not. This will save us from many troubles in life.

Now, let us move on to the "Talk about it" questions.

Question 1: The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?

Students, this is a very observant question. The story is written in English, but the characters are French. They have French names like Matilda Loisel, M. Loisel, Mme Forestier, and the story is set in France. The invitation is from the Minister of Public Instruction, and the party is at the Minister's residence. The story mentions places like the Champs-Elysees and the Palais-Royal, which are in Paris. Also, there are French words like M. for Monsieur, Mme for Madame, sou, and usurers. So, the characters are actually speaking French, but the author has written the story in English for us to understand. This is a common technique in literature. The original story was written in French, and it has been translated into English for Indian students like you.

Question 2: Honesty is the best policy.

Now, students, this is a moral question. The story clearly shows that honesty is the best policy. If Matilda had been honest with her friend from the beginning, she would not have had to go through ten years of hardship. By trying to hide the truth, she made her situation much worse. The story teaches us that no matter how difficult the situation is, we should always be honest. Honesty may be difficult in the short term, but it always saves us from bigger problems in the long run. This is a valuable lesson for all of us.

Question 3: We should be content with what life gives us.

This is another important moral lesson from the story. Matilda was never content with what she had. She always wanted more - more luxury, more beauty, more wealth. This constant longing made her unhappy. If she had been content with her simple life, she would have been happier. She would not have felt the need to borrow jewellery to attend a party. And even if she had gone to the party without jewellery, she might have enjoyed herself. But her desire to appear wealthy led to her downfall. The story teaches us to be grateful for what we have and not to constantly compare ourselves with others. Contentment is the key to happiness.

Now, students, we have covered all the questions in the textbook. But before we end, I want to summarize the story for you one more time and give you the key takeaways.

The story is about Matilda Loisel, a beautiful young woman who is unhappy with her simple life. She dreams of luxury and wealth but has to live in a small apartment with her husband, who is a clerk. One day, her husband gets an invitation to a grand party at the Minister's house. Matilda is unhappy because she has no beautiful dress or jewellery to wear. Her husband buys her a dress for four hundred francs, and she borrows a diamond necklace from her friend, Mme Forestier.

At the party, Matilda is the centre of attention and has a wonderful time. But when she goes home, she discovers that she has lost the necklace. She and her husband search everywhere but cannot find it. Finally, they decide to buy a replacement necklace for thirty-six thousand francs. They borrow money from various sources and spend the next ten years paying off the debt. They have to live in poverty, do all their own housework, and work tirelessly.

At the end of ten years, when they have finally paid off their debts, Matilda meets her friend Mme Forestier and tells her the whole story. To her shock, she learns that the original necklace was not real diamonds at all. It was worth only about five hundred francs. All her suffering was for nothing.

The story is a powerful commentary on vanity, honesty, and contentment. It shows how a small thing can ruin our lives if we are not careful. It also teaches us the importance of honesty and being content with what we have.

Now, students, I want you to remember a few important words from the story. Let me explain them to you.

Incessantly means continuously or without stopping. Matilda suffered incessantly because she was always unhappy.

Tureen is a covered dish from which soup is served at the table. In the story, Matilda's husband is happy with simple food like potpie served from a tureen.

M. is the abbreviation for Monsieur, which is a form of address for a man in French, similar to Mr.

Mme is the abbreviation for Madame, which is a form of address for a woman in French, similar to Mrs.

Vexation means a state of being distressed or annoyed. Matilda felt vexation when she did not have a dress to wear to the party.

Ruinous means disastrous. The loans that Loisel took were ruinous because they led to years of poverty.

Usurers are money-lenders, especially those who lend money on a high rate of interest. Loisel had to borrow money from usurers at high interest rates.

Sou is a former French coin of low value. Matilda had to haggle to the last sou of her miserable money.

Awry means not in the correct position or shape or twisted. Matilda's skirts were awry after years of hard work.

Now, students, I hope you have understood the story well. Let me recap the main points one more time.

First, we learned about the characters. Matilda is a beautiful but unhappy woman who longs for luxury. Her husband is a simple, loving man who tries to make her happy. Mme Forestier is their rich friend who lends Matilda the necklace.

Second, we learned about the plot. Matilda borrows a necklace for a party, loses it, and has to buy a replacement. This leads to ten years of hardship.

Third, we learned about the theme. The story teaches us about vanity, honesty, and contentment. It shows that we should be happy with what we have and always be honest, no matter how difficult the situation is.

Fourth, we learned about the twist in the end. The necklace was fake, worth only five hundred francs, but they spent thirty-six thousand francs to replace it. This is the cruel irony of the story.

Finally, we answered all the textbook questions. We discussed how the necklace changed the Loisels' lives, what caused Matilda's ruin, what would have happened if she had been honest, and how we would deal with a similar situation.

Students, I hope you enjoyed this lesson as much as I enjoyed teaching it. Remember, the key lessons from this story are to be content with what we have, to be honest in all situations, and to not let our desires lead us into trouble. These are valuable lessons that will help you throughout your lives.

Thank you for listening so patiently. Do read the story again at home and try to understand the deeper meanings. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the next class. Have a great day, and keep reading!