Understanding "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant

a college prof explains characters and theme

[@paigesalinas5372]

3 years later and this is still helping students out! Thank you so much!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I'm glad!

[@anthonyamato6845]

4 years now!

[@eoleonvc9354]

It is 2019

[@jacoblewis2961]

I love you Paige!😍

[@macewindex8410]

5 years now

[@borayeniay2282]

Your way of talking and interprinting things is so understanble, convincing and so accurate. I appreciate.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Thanks so much! :-)

[@alexmeyer5260]

I remember reading this short story in my 9th grade English class.

[@sophiepenguin242]

Alex Meyer lol I'm reading it in 9th grade English class

[@malditoo]

I’m reading it too 😡

[@roxanne1169]

same@@sophiepenguin242

[@lujain961]

Im in 7th grade and im reading this ;-;

[@ramiramix5520]

Me in g8 l am reading it

[@hunchogamingz9997]

Dont mind me im just here because i have a essay

[@renzlouietan7223]

an* essay

[@navo5827]

we are currently reading this in my online class, this helped a bunch!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I'm so glad! My students are now online, too!

[@anfal12345678]

I am reading it for my online class, too!!

[@vincentcastaneda4438]

6 years later and it is still helping students! Damn this is awesome!

[@jamesfeldman4234]

This analysis of "The Necklace" provides terrific insights and helps to explain why de Mauppasant's story is so great and will never grow old. I'd love to see Rebecca do a companion analysis of O, Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," as both have powerful , but very different underlying messages revolving around the theme of sacrifice.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

James Feldman Good idea! I'll add that to my list. Such a touching story!

[@zdryzleaks6957]

were u a grade 9 kid using a interactive readers book?

[@silvertrigga]

I'm doing a character analysis on this right now... how convenient.

[@sharnellepotvin5746]

I just started an English Lit class (at the age of 27) thinking it would be easy, and Thank goodness for your videos! Otherwise, I would not have understood any of these short stories we are working on. Thank you thank you!

[@bhattkris]

This is a great story by this great author. It is ever modern.

[@Othy163]

Thank you so much 9 years later this is still helping students 😊

[@AA-in4so]

You raise a good point about the issue of whether or not the main character is a sexist depiction of women in general. When tackling a character such as this, how do you make the distinction between what's supposed to be an individual character with the flaws that come with that, and a character that's meant to be representing a specific group of people?

[@inocentbystanderhere]

I don't think that Guy de Maupassant would waste a good story on a character that is not exemplary in some way. The woman protagonist of "The Necklace" has always stood out in my mind as a victim of her convictions. We all have ideas for which we are willing to fight for. Whether they are the right ideas or the wrong ideas is simply not up to us.

[@4_flor628]

You always share great insight and bring out new ideas/perspectives... Thank you!

[@rawxsa]

Omg I swear I love this story :O great video I was the first view #1 fan :)

[@sazidhasansafwan]

It is 8 years from then..... and her video is really helping me at my study.

[@garyhughes1664]

Guy de Maupassant wrote over 300 short stories and this one, The Necklace (La Parure), is one that is often anthologised, along with Boule de Suif (Ball of Fat) and Mademoiselle Fifi. All great stories. I have a few other personal favourites, though. Such as, The Mask, Two Friends and Regret. Must admit I haven’t read them all and there are probably many others that I’d enjoy if I got around to it. Love to see more Maupassant (if you have time) and Chekhov, too (The Lady with the Dog; The Black Monk), and other famous short stories like James Joyce’s The Dead and John Cheever’s The Swimmer. Thanks for the analysis. You have a great channel. Thx for sharing.

[@janinegnotob9206]

October 22, 2021. I am a college student from Philippines and this really helps me a lot!! Thank you so much and I really appreciate you, Ma'am.

[@abtaurus16]

Thank you so much for this explanation. It has helped me so much😊

[@alinapan3108]

Did Mathilde change after all the pain she had been through? Yes , After ten years of suffering Mathilde was not the same person she was , she became a stronger woman. When it came to “still young, still beautiful, still charming” Mme. Forester’s question, even the surprising question itself was just a deep injury to Mathilde , but she had no inferiority, no pain, no jealousy, but calmly say, “No. I am Mathilde Loisel”. This was the first time the main character said her complete name,it was like a rebirth , she was also completed at this moment. “smiled with proud”, “native joy” , this was no longer the girl that immersed in fantasy and vanity , but a woman that was strong, brave, mature and confident. She recovered herself ---just like how people should have been so: happy because of her inner self.

[@JayBirdTune]

I came to this conclusion myself after reading this story. I think she is dynamic because the end really does show her defending herself inspite of her poor economic status. She's naive yes but no longer unhappy now she's proud and content.

[@premsuthar4285]

Very meaningful story explained nicely. This story reminds me of another story that I read during my teenage. I don't recall name of the author but it could be Tolstoy. The gist of the story is that main character of story, a farmer, is a greedy person. He has small peace of land but he wanted more of it. Somehow he ends up having mercy of biggest farmer in the town who makes him proposal that he can have as much land as he wish from him but with a condition. Condition is that on a given morning,he will arrive on property of wealthy farmer and start roaming on it. Whatever area he roams on will be his provided he comes back to starting point by sunset. As per condition, farmer arrives on the property on given morning and started roaming on endless property of wealthy person. As he travels, he finds more and more reasons to go further to have more property. Since he has to come back to starting point by sunset, he doesn't even eat or drink to save time . His greed makes him go farther and farther. In the end while he is coming back near starting point, he dies of exhaustion. The moral of the story is thAt we all need about 6 feet of land for our cremation/funeral. Not more than that

[@premsuthar4285]

If someone knows author and title of the story, please reply

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Thanks! Interesting -- I will have to look that up. A profound message. :-)

[@premsuthar4285]

SixMinuteScholar if you find name of author of that story, it will be great.!

[@g.simoneseymour8416]

Thank you so much. You are a smart woman. Keep it up! Your such a big help. You help me on my homework all the time. Knowledge is power and you are using it wisely. God bless you and have a great day!

[@kourtsunday]

It’s 2020 and I read the story but this helped me so much more! ❤️

[@randomuser1105]

I greatly disagree with your analysis of the main character. How do you know she hasn't grown by the end of the story? Yes she should have appreciated what she had more, but why must she be demonized for wanting to experience the high life once or twice?

[@SixMinuteScholar]

randomuser1105 An interesting point! Glad you are offering your view. What is Maupassant trying to say about human nature here? Perhaps you would say that this woman represents everyone's wish for beauty in their lives in the form of fine things. Yet we can't overlook the author's treatment of her -- setting her up for the misunderstanding of a lifetime. I do feel sorry for her. Does the author?

[@barefootandtanbarefootandt7287]

I don't think she was being demonized for wanting more, the problem was how she felt about what was "more" - she was superficial, through and through, and bitter. I know plenty of people who want more, but also know what to place value upon. She wanted "more" but what she "wanted" was paste jewelry at the end of the day.

[@suhashawi1724]

I love this story , it has deep meaning. When i want to have a general idea about any text i search for ur explanations . U r great

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy this story! Literature teaches us much, and it reinforces our best selves, very often.

[@noeytindol5529]

Thank you for this. You helped me while studying for my teaching exam.

[@brombones3110]

still relevant critique of materialism....although saw the punchline coming from a mile a away. But in today's context it's not a surprise.

[@shwetaghosh6193]

6 years later... and this is still so useful. Thank you ma'am💕

[@LOVEandYI]

Shiiiidddd 7 yrs later it’s helping student yo! Thanks for this explanation

[@tark7140]

thanks a lot, this is one of my stories to study, and I will deal with it in the exam tomorrow :)

[@ishfaqahmed4979]

Around 9 years now, it is helping.

[@ukrainenews8247]

This helped me finish my group assessment on the Necklace and give me an idea to do it. Thank you Six Minute Scholar.

[@JGNICEFOSHO]

Love your videos. Have you done the short story "Araby" by James Joyce? If not, vould you? Thanks.

[@jusuelrosado6988]

we are currently reading this on my onlie class on 2020, this was so helpfull

[@arnicadadkhah13]

such a great video it was, Thank you

[@md.junayedalam8968]

This is so helpful Greetings from Bangladesh

[@yeosanglover4248]

Actually 6 years later and it still helps us😂🙏❤

[@scottlawder7617]

Life brought her that situation so she could correct it. So well said and correct.

[@99JDD]

Thanks again, one of my favorite stories. You're beautiful and have a beautiful voice. "'Just the facts, ma'am!'" - Joe Friday

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Aww . . . Thanks!

[@dali2527]

i raise my hat for u !!!! u are really amazinnnnnnnnnnnnng maybe best teacher ever !!!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Thanks so much!

[@dali2527]

SixMinuteScholar no thank u! U helped me so much today with ur explanation may god bless u and bless ur efforts

[@emsontopno5603]

Thank You for this video.....It's helping me a lot in my online class...... Thanks From India

[@siddharthbharwani1725]

Thank you so much for your analysis! it is really helpful... Thank you!

[@kimanthoni8988]

Maupassant is a master of writing!! Truck driver from Finland. The Donkey is my personal favourite. Or was it the Horse? Kind of confusing, because i did read it in Finnish.

[@dndnhrjdjd]

7 years later and still helping me

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Happy to hear it! :-)

[@alrinaleroux9229]

Thank you. VERY insightful.

[@beeru694]

Thankyou, ma'am.

[@Ohozai]

thank u so much for this analysis, it helps me

[@antoniojohnson1017]

thank you so much! this was very helpful

[@samanthaortiz8411]

Thank you!!

[@nahiyanshoaib9656]

2020...still helping... thanks

[@Eyesayah]

It is true our character has been under the spell of desiring more, even the best Cinderella experience possible. It is also true that she was proud enough to endure much privation in order to make good the loss. Many years of suffering. The story could have been written with a confession and assurance that the loss could be easily dealt with; or many other ways.

[@ianchavarria.8737]

Hello, what do you think about female power in Mathilde's relationship? What do you think makes Mathilde having more power than her husband?

[@ianchavarria.8737]

Because I mean in the 1880's male chauvinism was so common but here we can appriciate that that's not the case.

[@ayshaali2433]

Thank u so much I was searching for an explanation for the story because I have an exam about it u were the best

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Hope your exam went well!

[@drmichaelelinski6992]

Belle explication. Merci beaucoup. À la prochaine fois! ❣️

[@abnerperez2434]

Thannkkyouu so much for this, It is really helping me now in 2020

[@fouziashafeeqkh8204]

wooww , this was such an amzing way of putting the story into understanding thank u somuch - heart*

[@ubberpunk]

Excellent explanation!

[@angscott8063]

This me wanting to return to the love I once had but all the love was fake and I've wasted years dwelling on what was when in reality, it was never.

[@dabbagh6734]

I think that she got stronger (I mean mentaly)after the ten years

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Hamza Dabbagh That would be a plus. Life does teach us these things!

[@clawcross]

IT is useless. She is now destitute, and her husband would probably not stay with her too long. Plus the necklace won't be given back. The woman is the same woman in Bel Ami which the rake seduces. The necklace was probably given to Georges Du Roy, the rake, and then to another lady by that point of time.

[@abhishekprincerohta]

Extremely handy

[@avirajgamersingh997]

Thanks now I’m most likely to get an a on my test

[@yashasvik157]

Thank you❤️❤️

[@ThePiratemachine]

Good. No, he's not generalizing about women. He's just using one character, a story about her. Some women can be shallow - like men can be. Hit the nail on the head where you say the story is about the event she really creates being there so she can choose to change, grow.

[@bank-nj8ns]

Ok now I understand it thank you very much I got a quiz over it tomorrow this should help

[@julitotabalba8350]

Thanks Rebecca ... Great!

[@zhanaiahgantuangco5626]

Thank you!!!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome!

[@georgepalmer5497]

This commentary helped me appreciate the motivation of the woman in this story, but I think that back then many women with the same assets and liabilities of this woman would have behaved in the same way. People were very conscious of their social status back then, and I think most beautiful women would want more out of life than a lowly clerk could give them. I can understand how tempting this piece of jewelry would be to this woman. I'm wondering if there is any connection between this story and "Madame Bovary". I also wonder about the issue of identity in this story. It's not too much of a reach to read this story as a comment on identity. What we see in life comes through a template called "identity", and most often that template distorts reality for people, and when it is removed people are looking at a world that is very different than what they thought it was.

[@user-qu4rz6ll8e]

THIS IS GOOD

[@nasuhayusof7917]

May I know whether her friend and her husband are round/flat character and whether they are dynamic or static?

[@abdullahharoon253]

My understanding on this piece isn't much but according to my opinion, the husband and the friend each have their own thoughts and opinions with much thought behind it. The dialogue doesn't suggest that the main character is what the story revolves around. In fact, every "event" or "stage" in this piece is a consequence of many actions. The husband is indeed a round and diverse character but her friend's character can be argued upon on whether she is or not. I hope this helps.

[@jeanpascal3916]

thank you so much

[@chanakasrimal5334]

thank you very much this is very helpfull to my diploma

[@amandanasr1995]

Thank you so much💖💖💖

[@kiyana2010]

I am reading this book in my online class

[@sherifbadran5744]

Great work

[@FzeroVaporeon]

RIP ten years of work

[@chandlergunn9755]

socratic seminar on this tomorrow pog video

[@Ryan_Powers25]

I'm teaching this story to high school students in China. This is very helpful!

[@carlosgavidia6459]

Thank you!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're very welcome!

[@Kiki.ss.]

Thank you sooo much

[@sweetchoko-nim4309]

Miss, Did you know what the point of view this story? I have some examination about this story, can you tell me, miss?

[@user-ln1fu3ec9j]

Literary Realism was a 19th century .literary movement that began in France and spread to Russia .

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@KamalSharma-fk9nb]

Professor, doesn't she change through the tough years? She certainly seems stronger and more content at the end when she meets Mme Forestier...

[@amorntepkevin298]

Thank you.

[@campskunk]

I read this a million years ago but I remember thinking that the friend must have give her the real necklace back, minus the cost of the fake and so, would she and her husband enjoy many years of comfort with the money from the necklace?

[@haviskam]

Why do you feel a need to seek a flaw in the writer being mean to women. I suppose this is a post modern way of looking at things. Maupassant was an author, therefore whatever he includes in his fiction can never be held accountable for whatever his way of thinking is. Stories are stories, and an author has every right to include anything he sees good, fit, or whatever, in his/her work.

[@bnarqadr3667]

Thanks a lot 🥰

[@shadowsofyou6679]

Thank you !!!!!!!!

[@bubbajoe2681]

Who is the antagonist in this story?

[@brendaneaster4964]

Don't mind me im j here cuz i have an essay?

[@janellajoydulatre2979]

Same here

[@kathysabo9703]

If only she had listened to her husband and told her friend about having lost the necklace,it could have been easily replaced,being just pastes. But she would have had to humble herself and put her pride aside.

[@laurenserrano4134]

I agree

[@Catwomanbae]

Poor girl!

[@Nadaisvlogging]

Can u please talk about cat in the rain ?

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Nod Abdulhadi Ooh, I don't know that one, but I am interested! Who wrote it? I will see if I can do it sometime. I have a list of stories and poems for spring. Wish me luck!

[@Nadaisvlogging]

SixMinuteScholar Ernest Hemingway ☹️😭 I recommend u to put this short story also on your spring list i am sure that you are going to love it .

[@mariopinot9884]

Nice

[@jude2582]

* watches this vid to verify my answers after submitting** my anxiety 📈📈

[@ibtissam1236]

What is the irony dramatic and verbal ??

[@danfaeh3157]

I wish you would have brought up Mme Loisel's dishonesty. She could have saved herself 10 years of hard labor if she just would have humbled herself and told Mme. Forestier that she lost the necklace.

[@everythingrandom6775]

When you have to make an argumentative essay using critical analysis and are so sick of reading long stories cauze you have numerous activity in math and other subject within one week. Well it is time to steal ideas through internet.:)

[@evansharpdoe4053]

ay rebecca you good?

[@mocha44_4]

I have a test on this tomorrow 😭