Theme & Story Elements
What is the meaning of theme?
A message or lesson about life that the author wants us to know.
Mathilde borrows this item.
A diamond necklace.
Dowry
Property given or money paid by a bride to her groom and/or his family at the time of marriage.
Mathilde is unhappy for this reason.
She is poor and wants to be rich.
Mathilde struggles with the fact that she is poor and believes she was born to be rich. This type of conflict is . . .
Person vs. Self
Wanting more can prevent someone from appreciating what they already have.
You shouldn't take things for granted because you can lose them quickly.
Mathilde and her husband get invited to this event.
Ceaselessly
Never-ending
Mathilde is upset at being invited to the ball for this reason.
She does not have a nice enough dress to wear.
Mathilde has lost the necklace and they need to replace it.
What lesson does the story teach about honesty?
Honesty is the best policy.
Being honest can prevent problems from becoming much worse.
Mathilde gets upset when leaving the ball because of this action by her husband.
He puts a coat over her shoulders, but it is not fancy and ruins her outfit.
Frock
A dress
One word to describe Mathilde at the beginning of the story.
Selfish, greedy, egotistical
Mathilde desires to be rich. Would this be internal conflict or external conflict?
Internal conflict.
What is exposition?
The beginning of the story.
Mathilde's husband goes to these places to search for the necklace.
The ball, the newspapers, the cab company, and the police station.
Rapture
Extreme happiness
Mathilde's husband buys her a dress, even though he was saving for this.
He was saving money to buy a gun so that he could go to the lake with his friends.
Mathilde makes a decision that creates the biggest chain of consequences. What is this decision?
She lies to Madame Forestier and does not tell her that she lost the necklace. She instead replaces it with an expensive one.
What is falling action?
The events that happen after the climax but before the resolution.
Put these events in order:
1. Mathilde loses the necklace.
2. Mathilde gets invited to the ball.
3. Mathilde tells Madame Forestier about the replacement necklace.
4. Mathilde borrows the necklace.
2, 4, 1, 3
Privations
Extreme poverty
Mathilde tells Madame Forestier the truth at the end of the story. Madame Forestier tells her this.
The necklace was fake and not worth what Mathilde paid.
Explain how one conflict in the story causes another conflict.
Mathilde's dissatisfaction in life leads to her borrowing the necklace.
Borrowing the necklace leads to her losing the necklace.
Losing the necklace leads to her becoming even poorer.