Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Is Mathilde a sympathetic character? Can you identify with her? Do you care about her at the beginning, or at the end? Why or why not?
- What do you think Maupassant/the narrator feels about his characters? Is he sympathetic? Distant? Judgmental?
- How does Mathilde strike you as a woman? Does she capture some important part of what it means to be a woman now? Or is she just an old, bad stereotype?
- Is there anything Mathilde could have done to make herself happy in her initial situation? Could her husband have done anything more?
- Is "The Necklace" a cynical story – does it reflect a really bleak and jaded view of life? Does it have some other attitude towards life?
- Does "The Necklace" have a moral? What is it, if it does?
- What's your verdict on the story's ending? Does it affect you emotionally?
- If the story hadn't ended with a twist, how do you think it would have ended? Could it have ended in any other way and been as effective (and short) a story?