The Necklace (Literature)

The Necklace

Exposition 

Setting:  The Middle Classed Home
Character: Main: Mathilde 

                                  Minor: Madame Forestier, The Husband, Monsieur Loisel

• Mathilde was one of those pretty and charming girls
• Born into a lower middle-class family
• Unlikely she would ever meet a man of wealth and social position
• Married to a junior clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction
• No money for expensive clothes 
• Dressed simply
• Unhappy
• Wanted better things in her life.
• Wanted to be treated as a upper class

Rising Action

• Threw the invitation from the Minister of Public Instruction onto the table
• Unhappy because she has nothing to wear to the ball
• The husband gave her the  $400 that he wanted to buy the gun to Mathilde
• Bought herself a beautiful dress
• Mathilde does not have a single jewellery
• Borrowed a beautiful diamond necklace for the ball

Climax

• Went to the ball and she was the center of attraction
• She lost her necklace during the ball

Falling Action

• Went back to the route where they walked see if they could find it
• Went to the police station the newspaper and to the cab companies
• Waited at home in the same state of shock
• Wrote to Madame Forestier and told her she has broken the clasp and is having it mended
• The next day, took the case that it had come in and went to the jewellers whose name was insidew the lid
• The jeweller did not sell the necklace and only made the case
• Went to a small shop in the Palais Royal 
• Found a diamond necklace that looked exactly the same and it was worth 40,000 francs
• Loisel had 18,000 francs which his father left him and borrowed the rest
• Wrote IOUs borrowed money at outrageous rates of interest 
• Went to the extent of mortaging the rest of his life
• Madame Loisel/Mathilde finally returned the necklace
• Didn't open the necklace fearing that Madame Forestier might notice the change

Resolution

• At the end Mathilde saw Madame Forestier and found out the 36,000 francs the pay to replace the necklace was actually worth five hundred francs at most