The Necklace

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. When she loses the necklace, Mathilde makes the choice to replace it without talking with her friend and telling her she lost it.

• How effective was this decision? (topic sentence)
• Define what makes a strong decision. Then include at least three details from the story that show how Mathilde’s decision either fits or does not fit this definition.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Mathilde’s character traits led her to make this choice.

2. The necklace is the title and central focus of much of the story.

• What does the necklace symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least three details from the story to support your analysis and explain your reasoning.
• In your conclusion, explain how the necklace’s symbolism connects to one of themes of the story: The Harm of Dissatisfaction, Pride Versus Humility, or The Value of Hard Work.

3. Characters in the story reveal various aspects of pride.

• How does Mathilde’s pride change over the course of the story? (topic sentence)
• As evidence, analyze at least three scenes from the story, explaining how they reveal Mathilde’s pride shifting.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, articulate a lesson the reader can learn from Mathilde’s pride.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Analyze Mathilde’s transformation in the story. What does she dream about in the beginning of the story? How does she feel during the party and why? What has she learned by the end of the story? How have her motivations shifted? Include at least three quotations from the story to build your argument and provide reasoning for each.

2. Consider the first four paragraphs of ”The Necklace.” How do they reveal gender expectations in 19th century Paris? What details describe Mathilde? What can be inferred by the narrator not using Mathilde’s actual name during this introduction? How does word choice illuminate an attitude toward women at the time? Incorporate specific quotations and thorough reasoning to support your argument.