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A character arc is the transformation or development of a character throughout a story and refers to the changes a character undergoes as a result of their experiences, challenges, and interactions with other characters. In the light of the above information, trace the character arc of Mathilde Loisel in Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace, in about 120 words.
Answer as written by the student:
Mathilde Loisel is the protagonist of Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace, a short story that depicts her character arc from a dissatisfied and vain woman to a humble and hardworking one. Mathilde’s character arc is driven by the events and consequences of losing a borrowed diamond necklace, which she wears to a high-society party to impress others and escape her middle-class life.
At the beginning of the story, Mathilde is unhappy with her modest lifestyle and marriage. She believes that she deserves more wealth, luxury, and admiration, and she envies her rich friend Madame Forestier. She is obsessed with appearance and status, and she neglects the simple pleasures and comforts that her husband provides. She is also ungrateful and selfish, as she does not appreciate her husband’s efforts to please her and make her happy.
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When her husband obtains an invitation to a prestigious party, Mathilde is initially angry and frustrated, because she has nothing suitable to wear. Her husband sacrifices his savings to buy her a new dress, but she is still unsatisfied, because she has no jewels to match. She then borrows a diamond necklace from Madame Forestier, without knowing that it is actually a fake. She wears the necklace to the party and enjoys the attention and admiration that she receives. She feels like a different person, and she forgets about her reality.
However, when she returns home, she realizes that she has lost the necklace. She and her husband are terrified and ashamed, and they decide to replace the necklace with a real one, without telling Madame Forestier the truth. They spend all their savings and borrow money from various lenders, accumulating a huge debt. They have to sell their belongings, move to a smaller and shabbier apartment, dismiss their maid, and work hard for ten years to pay off their debt. Mathilde’s beauty and charm fade away, and she becomes old, worn-out, and poor.
At the end of the story, Mathilde meets Madame Forestier again, and she confesses what happened to the necklace. She is shocked to learn that the original necklace was only worth 500 francs, and that she has wasted her life for nothing. She realizes that her pride and vanity have ruined her happiness, and that she has been living in a delusion. She also realizes that her friend is not as rich and superior as she thought, and that she has been deceived by appearances. Mathilde’s character arc is complete, as she learns a harsh lesson about the value of honesty, gratitude, and simplicity.
Step-by-step explanation of the answer:
To trace the character arc of Mathilde Loisel, we need to follow these steps:
Identify the main stages of Mathilde’s character arc: Mathilde’s character arc can be divided into four stages : dissatisfaction, deception, hardship, and revelation.
Explain how Mathilde changes in each stage with examples from the text:
- Dissatisfaction: In this stage, Mathilde is unhappy with her middle-class life and longs for a wealthy lifestyle. She feels that she was born for “delicacies and luxuries” but has to endure "poverty, the grinding poverty". She is discontented with her husband, her apartment, and her clothes. She envies her friend Madame Forestier, who has a large collection of jewels.
- Deception: In this stage, Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace from Madame Forestier to wear to a ball hosted by the Ministry of Education. She believes that the necklace will make her look elegant and attractive, and that she will be admired by everyone. She enjoys herself at the ball and feels like "a queen"3. However, on her way home, she realizes that she has lost the necklace. She and her husband decide to buy a new one without telling Madame Forestier the truth, hoping that she will not notice the difference.
- Hardship: In this stage, Mathilde and her husband have to work hard to pay off the debt they incurred to replace the necklace. They have to move to a smaller apartment, dismiss their maid, and live frugally. Mathilde has to do all the household chores, bargain for every penny, and dress plainly. She becomes "an old woman" who looks "strong and hard". She suffers from "the horrible life of the needy"3.
- Revelation: In this stage, Mathilde meets Madame Forestier again after ten years. She tells her the truth about the necklace and how much she has sacrificed for it. To her shock, Madame Forestier reveals that the necklace was fake and worth only 500 francs. Mathilde realizes that she has wasted her life for nothing. She understands that her pride and vanity have ruined her happiness.
Summarize how Mathilde’s character arc shows her transformation from a dissatisfied and vain woman to a humble and wiser one.
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