The Necklace

Analyzing Short Stories

I. Story Title and Author:

The Necklace written by Guy De Maupassant from France

II. Time, Place and Amount of Time Spent:

First published in the French newspaper Le Gaulois in 1884.

I spent an hour to read this story.

III. Vocabulary (5-10 Words with brief definitions)

1. Destiny(n): the life that people cannot control and has already been set by god

2. Plain(adj): something or someone is so general and without decoration

3. Wit(n): something connected with I.Q or smart

4. Instinct(n): a natural ability to act without thinking how to do

5. Poverty(n): the state of poor

6. Wretch(n): someone who is miserable or unfortunate

7. Peasant (n): the people works as poor famers

8. Despair (vi/n): feel life without any hope

9. Sought-after(adj): someone is very popular and wants to be pursued

10. Envy(vt/n): admire others or jealousness

IV. Literary Devices (At least three per story --- quote phrases from the story and identify the literary device used)

1. Metaphor: “When she sat down to dinner, before the round table covered with a table-cloth three days old, opposite her husband, who uncovered the soup tureen and declared with an enchanted air”.

2. Characterization: “Her hands trembled as she took it. She fastened it around her throat, outside her high-necked dress, and remained lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself.”

3. Dialogue: “What do you want me to do with that?”

“But, my dear, I thought you would be glad. You never go out, and this is such a fine opportunity. I had awful trouble to get it. Everyone wants to go; it is very select, and they are not giving many invitations to clerks. The whole official world will be there.”

4. Foreshadowing:

a)“Can you lend me that, only that?”“Why, yes, certainly.”

b) “She did not open the case”

V. Plot Summary (1-2 paragraphs)

There is a woman called Madame Loisel who is always crazy about rank and caste and...