The Necklace

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LANGUAGE

'No dowry, no expectations, no means of meeting some rich, important man...went along with a...junior clerk'- Anaphora. Bleek and negative. Also ironic, as this 'junior clerk' understood and loved her excessivley and did a lot for her.

'peeling walls, the battered chairs, and the ugly curtains'- Rule of 3 summarising what Mme Loisel feels is wrong with her house.

'torture'- Hyperbole to reflect Mme Loisel's emotional drama

paragraph ending in 'desired by all women'- This paragraph of description is richly, descriptive and includes alliteration. The effect is to shwo how Mme Loisel pays more attention to her dream parlour than to her real life. Alliteration of d, f, e.

'popular, envied, attractive and in demand'- Listing used to show how much she wants.

'Look' he said'- Use of direct speech to develop character. Kindly, hoping she will be pleased.

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LANGUAGE FEATURES P.2

'He was devastated'- Harsh jibe by Mme Loisel to Loisel's low income, aimed to hurt him and it did. This is how she manipulates him into buying a dress for her. Short sentence emphasises abrupt dissapointment.

'Suddenly she gave a cry'- Short sentences indicates change, suddenly

'the grim poverty which stood ready to pounce' - Personification.

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QUOTES

'sad regrets and impossible fancies'- even the servant isn't good enough quality

'There's nothing I like better than a nice stew'- homely, appreciative, simple. Contrasts with Mme Loisel.

'unhappy afterwards'- envious

'sorrow, regret, despair and anguish'- listing. Over dramatic, self pity.

'He had not thought of that'- These things are not important to him

'Making a supreme effort'- Tongue in cheek? Are these tears an act?

'Madame Loisel was a success'- the writer earlier explained that women were valued for their beauty. Descriptive paragraph with adjectives and adverbs.

'rue des Martyrs'- street name is ironic, as they are about to become martyrs to vanity.

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QUOTES P.2

'hollow cheeked and very pale'- Previously, Loisel is seen as a cheerful and optimistic man. This incident changes things completely. Foreshadowing more change and disaster.

'Loisel, who had aged five years'- Emphasises the trauma. Notice how the sentences are now brief and unadorned.Contrast to richness and fantasy language.

'eighteen thousand francs with his father had left him'- This suggests his father's life savings, emphasising huge cost of necklace.

'physical privation and mental torture'- strong language used here to indicate how their life has been completely changed or ruined.

'sit by the window and think'- links back to her fantasies at the beginning of the story, reminiscing of the days she was OK in wealth.

'by a common woman in the street'- Illustrates significance of class in society.

'and I'm glad'- proud of paying debt. Shows different side to her character.- Unexpected ending, twist, uncertain of what happens next.

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STRUCTURE

  • The story ends with a twist as the necklace is revealed to have been a fake/imitation. This is irony. We now realise that Mme Loisel's greatest mistake was not telling the truth to her friend in the first place.
  • Another irony is that Mme Loisel borrowed the necklace in order to imporve her looks, but lost her looks as a result of losing the necklace.
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