Theme_The Necklace VG

Part A: How does Mathilde's attitude about life differ from her husband's?

• Mathilde comes from a wealthy family, and she feels she married down; her husband came from a poor family, and he feels he married up

• Mathilde understands how important it is to make a good impression; her husband is unaffected by the opinions of others

• Mathilde is reckless and thoughtless; her husband is organized and thinks everything through

• Mathilde is dramatic and concerned with how others view her; her husband is hardworking and content

PART B: which of the following quotations from the text best support the answer to Part A?

• "Why, darling, I thought you'd be pleased. You never go out, and this is a great occasion." (Paragraph 12)

• "She thought for several seconds, reckoning up prices and also wondering for how large a sum she could ask without bringing upon herself an immediate refusal and an exclamation of horror from the careful-minded clerk." (Paragraph 22)

• "He threw over her shoulders the garments he had brought for them to go home in, modest everyday clothes, whose poverty clashed with the beauty of the ball-dress." (Paragraph 48)

• "It was the end, for her. As for him, he was thinking that he must be at the office at ten." (Paragraph 53)

Which sentence best illustrates a theme in the text?

• It is better to appreciate what you have

• Fake it until you make it

• The clothes don't make the man (or woman)

• If you don't like where you are in life, work harder

Explain the irony at the end of the story. Use text evidence to support your answer.

Which of the following sentences should be included in a summary of the text?

• The Loisels find a carriage halfway home from the party

• Madame Forestier has a Venetian cross in gold & gems

• One Sunday, Mathilde went for a walk along the Champs-Elysees

• At home, Mathilde realizes the necklace is no longer around her neck