THE NECKLACE
The Necklace
Page 160
Class notes:
Vocabulary
Dowry: property that a woman brings into a marriage. The property or money is part of the marriage contract. If a woman’s family is poor than her prospects for marriage were slim.
Incessantly: without stopping or ceasing
Nyallah: I have been incessantly wanting pie lately.
Tia: I incessantly tapped on the desk while waiting for the surgery to begin.
Niceties (noun): small but important perks of good living
Chocolate; caramel; ice cream; play station 3 - all these are niceties of the modern teenager's life.
Disconsolate: so unhappy that one cannot be roused out of the depression; in a state where nothing can make one happy
Cassey: Mathilde was disconsolate because everything around her made her unhappy.
Tatevik: She was worthy of more than what she had. What would bring her happiness?
She wanted the niceties of life: nice clothes; jewels;
nice furnishings;
Tapestries: thick, luxurious wall coverings made of beautiful, expensive material with beautiful designs on it of pastoral scenes.
Mathilde wants the life of a rich person like Oprah.
She is beautiful and young.
Curios: rare, expensive and unusual items; knickknacks.
Tureen: large bowl
Sphinx: a mysterious character from Greek mythology that had the body of a lion, wings, claws and the face of a woman;
Convent: a place where nuns live and work; like a monastery but for nuns;
Convent school: Catholic school where the teachers are nuns and priests.
Setting: the nineteenth century (1800 – 1899); Paris, France
Vexation: annoyance; anger, irritation
Loisel is Mathilde’s last name
Monsieur Loisel worked as a clerk for the Ministry of Education
What did he come home with: an invitation to a fancy-shmancy party.
Is Mathilde happy about the party? No! Why? Because she does not have a fancy-shmancy dress or jewels.
It is written in 3rd person pov. Do we know what anyone but Mathilde is thinking? No, we just know what Mathilde is thinking. Therefore, it is 3rd person pov, from her point of view.
Franc: an old fashioned form of money used in France until the 1990’s. It would be the equivalent of the dollar.
Loisel gives her 400 francs to buy a nice dress.
Loisel saved the 400 francs to buy a rifle so he could go hunting with his friends while on vacation; instead, he decides to give his wife the 400 francs to buy a nice dress for the party.
Madame Forestier: convent school friend of Madame Loisel; very wealthy woman with lots of jewels, one of which she loans to Mathilde.
Venetian: from Venice, Italy
Was Mathilde a hit at the party?
Adulation: the state of adoring; the state of being viewed with great awe.
How late did she stay at the party?
Why did Mathilde run out of the party?
Martyrs: someone who suffers for a long time
Could the name of the street be a sort of foreshadowing?
