What is the conflict in the novel The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant?

Answer 1

The main conflict in "The Necklace" is internal, as the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, struggles with her dissatisfaction with her life and her desire for wealth and status. This internal conflict drives the story as Mathilde's choices and actions lead to external consequences.

Answer 2

I guess the conflict could be seen as man vs self - Mathilde allows vanity, selfish pride and envy to cause her downfall. She makes one poor decision after another all in an attempt to appear to be something she is not. She foolishly spends 400 francs on an elegant gown to wear to a ball and borrows a necklace from a wealthy friend because she cannot bear to be seen in the company of wealthy women and appear to be "beneath" them in class.

She wants to appear to be of the upper, wealthy class, though she belongs to the middle class. She is so preoccupied with her appearance and her wishes and dreams to be like the women of higher society that she spends her husband's savings on a gown and borrows what she believes to be a diamond necklace of great value - and she is a great success at the ball. She is sought after and admired and she has a wonderful evening. Then, in her haste to leave the ball and not be seen in her inexpensive wraps (in sharp contrast to the ball gown and necklace she is wearing - and to the furs the other women are putting on as they prepare to leave) she loses the necklace.

She and her husband decide not to tell Mme Forestier (the friend from whom she borrowed the necklace). Instead, they use all the money they have and borrow even more to purchase a replacement. This drastically alters the course of their lives and it takes them 10 years to pay off their debt. In the end, she assumes the responsibility for what she has done and submits herself to poverty to pay for the necklace. She becomes part of the lower class.

Once the debt has been settled, she says she is glad. However, Mathilde Loisel still dreams about the night she went to the ball and remembers how admired she was. So, whether or not she has truly learned her lesson about envy and appearances, we can only guess.

Answer 3

The diamond is the main conflict in this short story. It is because when Madame Loisel loses her friend's diamond necklace, she has to somehow find another one, and be able to pay for it. the only necklace that looked identical to the one Madame Loisel lost was around 36,000 francs; which is WAY out of their budget. The couple then had to spend the next 10 years trying to pay off the debt. When they do, Madame Loisel is no longer her beautiful self because of all the hard labor that she had to go through.

There are several conflicts in "The Necklace.' One is that of person against society. Mme. Loisel needs to keep up appearances demanded by high society that she pretends to be a part of. Another conflict is person against self. She is brought to ultimate ruin by her own vanity, pride and dishonesty.

Answer 4

The young lady loses the necklace she borrowed from her friends a wealthy lady and loses at the ball she went to. when she loses she and her husband take loans and work very hard to replace before her friend notices. She then gives it to her friend and her and her husband work ten years to pay off the loans. one day she sees her friend and tells you she caused her a lot of problems because of the diamond necklace. Her friend becomes shocked to tell her that the necklace she had was fake. The conflict I believe is that she loses the necklaces and fails to tell her friend because she is selfish and obsessed with material things not knowing the real values in life.

Answer 5

The problem in Guy de Maupassantâ??s â??The Necklaceâ?? is most recognizable in character development. The story leaves to many things to chance and conjecture. For example, readers are never informed as to why someone of Madam Loisel social status have a wealthy friend. Other unanswered questions leave gaps in the events in the story, such as, why a low-income job like the one Monsieur Loisel had would invite him to a high class social. In short, there is a discrepancy between the opportunity that was afforded to the unfortunate couple and the actual class they belonged to.