Summary of "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant

      This is my brief summary of the story. You can read this before you watch the videos (look in the posts from September) so that you can have an idea of what is going on in the French videos. Since you don't understand French, and the story I gave you is long, this will help you. YOU MUST READ THE WHOLE STORY ANYWAY!




       Madame Loisel is unhappy and poor in Paris, 1865. She wants to be high class and rich, but she's married to a clerk. Her husband, the clerk, comes home one afternoon, after a long hard day's work with an invitation to a party at the Minister of Education's house. Instead of being happy, Madame Loisel is unhappy because she has no dress to wear. Her husband, who has worked hard to save up money for a gun, uses the money to buy Madame Loisel a dress. She's still not happy because she feels that she will look out of place (poor--which she is) if she does not wear jewelry. Her husband makes a good suggestion. 

     Madame Forestier, an old school friend, has lots of jewels, including a beautiful expensive diamond necklace. She gladly lends it to Madame Loisel for the party. Now, Madame Loisel is finally happy...until she loses the necklace. She and her husband decide not to tell Madame Forestier the truth about losing the necklace. They must borrow money to replace the necklace and spend the next 10 years of their life, working hard to earn enough to pay back the money they borrowed. One day while strolling along the a very nice street in Paris, Madame Loisel runs into Madame Forestiere and tells her what happened. Forestiere, shocked by Madame Loisel's tragic story, informs her that the necklace she lent her that day ten years ago was a fake.