Q. Why was Matilda always unhappy after her marriage?
Ans. Matilda’s desire to belong to the rich and affluent section of society was responsible for her downfall. If she had accepted her condition with a smile and without any complains, she would not have to live ten long years of her life in such object poverty.
Q. Why was Matilda Loisel always unhappy?
Ans. Matilda Loisel was always unhappy because she did not get what she aspired for. She wanted to enjoy all the delicacies and luxuries. But she did not get these things as her husband was a poor clerk in the Board of Education.
Q. Why did Matilda not want to see her rich friends?
Ans. Matilda did not want to see her rich friends because she suffered from inferiority complex. She was married to a simple clerk; whereas her friends were rich and full of money power.
Q. What was Loisel’s reaction to his wife’s desire for a new dress?
Ans. The Loisels had been invited to a party at the Minister’s residence. When Matilda told her husband that she wanted a new dress to wear, first of all he asked her to wear whatever she possessed. When she got angry and refused to go to the party at all, he finally agreed to let her buy a new one.
Q. Do you think M. Loisels had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. I think M. Loisel didn’t enjoy much at the ball. In fact, he was not much interested in such parties. He had come there for the sake of his wife’s happiness. So when his wife was dancing with enthusiasm, intoxicated with pleasure, he waited for her (but without disturbing her) half asleep in one of the little salons since midnight.
Q. How did Mr. Loisel purchase a suitable costume for his wife?
Ans. Matilda’s husband i.e. Mr. Loisel had saved substantial amount of money to buy a gun for him. His wife had declined to attend the ball unless he purchased a party dress for her. Therefore he had to go for the idea of buying the gun. The entire four hundred francs were spent on buying the costume.
Q. How did the Loisels react when they realised that the necklace had been lost?
Ans. As soon as they realised that the necklace had been lost, their short-lived happiness degenerated into shock of the worst nightmare. Matilda uttered a cry. Loisel, already half undressed, arose in dismay and went immediately on foot in search of the necklace.
Q. Why was Matilda sad after the ball?
Ans. The night of the ball had been the realisation of a long cherished dream for Matilda, when she was the focus of all the attention and every eye admired her. But the happiness was short-lived and degenerated into shock of the worst nightmare when she discovered that the necklace was missing from her attire. Her mind was ridden with forebodings of how she would face Madame Forestier and pay up for the loss.
Q. What changes came into the life of the Loisels after borrowing money?
Ans. After borrowing money, a lot of changes came in the life of the Loisels. They had to do away with the maid and Matilda had to do all the household chores. She had to carry down the refuse to the street and carry water upstairs. She had to do all the shopping from the market after a lot of haggling. Her husband also had to work hard. He worked in the evenings and sometimes even at night. Thus, their life changed drastically.
Q. Why could Mrs. Forestier not recognize her friend Matilda at the end of the story?
Ans. Matilda had to work very hard to lead her life. She had become a strong, hard woman, the crude woman of the household. In fact, she had started looking old. One Sunday evening, when she was taking a walk in the Champs Elysees, she met Mrs. Forestier who still looked young and pretty. As Matilda had started looking old and haggard, she couldn’t be recognized by her.
Q. People should always try to live within their means. Aspiration have no limits but one should never forget the ground realities. Elaborate on the basis of chapter, “The Necklace”.
Ans. Matilda was a pretty young woman. But she was a day-dreamer. Although she was born in a poor family, yet she dreams to have costly dresses and jewellery. She wanted to be honoured and respected like rich. One day her husband showed her an invitation from a minister. She emotionally forced to buy a new and costly dress for the ball. After this she borrowed a diamond necklace from her friend Forestier. She enjoyed the party heartily. She danced with enthusiasm. But she lost the necklace and in this way their problems started. To replace the necklace her husband had to borrow amount on a very high rate of interest. To repay that amount, they lived in rented house. She did all household work herself. Mr. Loisel worked extra to earn small wages.
Thus, it is correctly said that we should always live within one means. Our aspirations have no limits. But we should never forget the ground realities. If Matilda had knowledge of this fact, her life would not have changed into realities.
Q. Give a character sketch of Mrs. Forestier in the story.
Ans. Mrs. Forestier was a rich lady. She was a good friend of Matilda. Her Jewel case and black satin box were full of costly ornaments. She is a helpful and considerate lady when Matilda told her the story of her distress, she got ready to. help her. She showed all her golden ornaments and jewels of admirable workmanship. She did not hesitate the least in lending her superb necklace of diamonds to Matilda. Mrs. Forestier snubbed Matilda for returning the necklace a bit late. She was a pure-hearted lady. She kept the Jewel box without opening it. Her honest and large heartedness became evident when she declared that her necklace was false and of only five hundred francs in worth.
Q. The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Ans. Matilda lost Mrs. Forestier’s necklace while she was dancing at the ball. Matilda and her husband had to return the necklace after borrowing eighteen thousand francs from lenders. They handed the jewel box to Mrs. Forestier who did not open the Jewel Box. After that Matilda and her husband spent a life of misery. A tremendous change came in the life style of Matilda after this incident. She started living in rented house, sent away the maid, and also started doing all the household work. She led a wretched, poor and humble life for ten years. Matilda’s desire to show off and one little act of negligence or one small error led to the utter ruin of their life full of pleasures. They suffered poverty for ten years due to the debt they incurred to buy a necklace.
Q. What is the role of Madam Forestier in the story ‘The Necklace’?
Ans. Madam Forestier plays quite an important role in the plot of the story ‘The Necklace’. She was a rich friend of Matilda. She was a schoolmate at the convent. Though quite rich, Madam Forestier never gave an image of an arrogant and snobbish lady. When Matilda told her that she needed jewels to adorn herself for the ball, she at once obliged her. She opened her jewel box and asked her to make her choice. She happily lent her a superb diamond necklace of her choice. If Matilda didn’t want to visit Madam Forestier, it was not her fault. Matilda’s inflated ego prevented her from going there. She suffered so much when she returned the necklace. Matilda suffered because she couldn’t enjoy all delicacies and luxuries like her rich friend. Madam Forestier could snub Matilda for returning the necklace rather late. She told her, “You should have returned them to me sooner…..“ But she was a sympathetic lady. She showed her sympathy when she came to know of all miseries that Matilda suffered because of the necklace. Alas! Matilda didn’t take Madam Forestier into her confidence about the lost necklace. Madam Forestier was gracious enough to forgive her. After all, the jewels she lent to Matilda were false.