122 The Necklace Essay Questions, Writing Prompts, & Topics

Updated: Aug 6th, 2025

9 min

“The Necklace” essay questions and topics can cover anything, from the story’s twist ending to Marxist perspectives on its plot. Named among The 25 Greatest Short Stories of All Time by Forbes, Maupassant’s “The Necklace” continues to intrigue its readers. Thousands of essays have been written to discuss the story’s themes and characters, and there’s always room for more.

In this article, you will find a powerful source of inspiration for an assignment based on “The Necklace.” Here, we will present:

“The Necklace” writing prompts
Essay questions and topics
Discussion questions
Sample papers about the short story
Examples of topic sentences for “The Necklace” essays.

Table of Contents

🔝 Top 10 The Necklace Essay Topics
❓ The Necklace Essay Questions
✍️ The Necklace Writing Prompts
❓ The Necklace Discussion Questions
💡 Topic Sentence for The Necklace Essay: Examples
🏆 Best The Necklace Topic Ideas & Essay Examples
📌 Most Interesting The Necklace Topics to Write about
👍 Good Research Topics about The Necklace

🔝 Top 10 The Necklace Essay Topics

❓ The Necklace Essay Questions

What is the resolution of The Necklace?
What is the setting in The Necklace?
What lesson does The Necklace teach?
Which city is the setting for The Necklace?
How is greed a theme in The Necklace?
What is The Necklace exposition?
What were efforts made to return the necklace to the owner?
Do you agree that Madame Loisel shows heroism in paying her debt?
What is the author’s message in The Necklace?
What is the meaning of rapture in The Necklace?
What is The Necklace resolution from Mme. Forestier’s perspective?
What is the conclusion of The Necklace?
What are examples of alliteration in The Necklace?
How did the protagonist look after losing the necklace in The Necklace?
How does the main character in The Necklace change from beginning to end?
What symbols best represent the idea of regret in The Necklace?
How did The Necklace protagonist look before losing the necklace?
What significant tragedy happens at the event in The Necklace?
What is the example of foreshadowing in The Necklace?
Who is Mathilde Loisel in The Necklace?
What are the examples of personification in The Necklace?
What is the moral in a story of The Necklace?
Where did Madame Loisel likely lose the necklace?
What is The Necklace climax?
What is the main conflict of the story The Necklace?
What unexpected outcome happens in Mathilde Loisel’s life after she borrows a necklace?
What is the meaning of the story The Necklace?
Why was Madame Loisel not satisfied with her life in The Necklace?
What is the tone in The Necklace?
What does the dress symbolize in The Necklace?

✍️ The Necklace Writing Prompts

Our “The Necklace” essay prompts can guide your thoughts in the right direction within a specific subject matter. Check them out below:

Compare “The Necklace” with “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. Which similarities and differences can you find? Pay attention to how the characters of the two stories use expensive objects.
What role does suffering play in “The Necklace?” Mathilde suffers because of the discrepancy between her dream life and reality. Her husband endures hardships due to Mathilde’s life choices. How do the characters handle their suffering, and why?
Examples of dramatic irony in Maupassant’s story. Dramatic irony is achieved when the character is ignorant of something that the reader already knows. You can mention Mathilde’s dressing up for the party as if she is a wealthy woman (the irony is that she is not.)
Protagonist and antagonist in “The Necklace.” Who is to blame for the characters’ downfall? Is the protagonist and antagonist the same person or not? Answer these questions in your paper.
Structure of the story’s plot and its effect on the reader. Your essay can focus on the twist ending. Why was the truth revealed only in the final sentence?
Static and dynamic characters in “The Necklace.” Static characters remain the same throughout the story. Dynamic characters are the opposite – they evolve with the plot. Is Mathilde a dynamic character? Did her circumstances really make her change?
Rue de Martyrs and the couple who lives there. What is the symbolism behind the name of the street where the Loisels live?
True and fake beauty in Maupassant’s story. Mathilde is beautiful on the outside, but her personality hardly matches her appearance. Similarly, the cheap necklace only looks like real diamonds. What’s the significance of jewelry causing Mathilde’s downfall?
Greed in “The Necklace”: Is the grass always greener on the other side? When the protagonist decides to enter high society, she loses everything. What caused her to want more in the first place?
Compare Mathilde and Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. The two characters have a lot in common. What do their mentalities say about the society they live in?
Did housework ruin Mathilde or do her good? Although only one paragraph in the story is dedicated to housework, it took a whole decade of Mathilde’s life. In your essay, you can discuss whether it helped her become a better person.
Imagery in “The Necklace.” How does imagery help the author appeal to the readers’ senses and convey the protagonist’s emotions?
Is Maupassant’s story feminist? Many researchers study “The Necklace” through the feminist lens, focusing on Mathilde’s life circumstances and things that likely made her into the person she is. In your essay, try and answer the question: is the society to blame for Mathilde’s downfall?
Status symbols in “The Necklace” as characters. The necklace mysteriously disappears, the rifle is never bought, and the dress is never worn again after the party. These objects may not be actually doing anything, but they set the plot in motion and underscore the story’s themes.
Compare and contrast Madame Loisel and Madame Forestier. Why, in your opinion, were they friends? What could possibly make them grow estranged, aside from the status differences?

❓ The Necklace Discussion Questions

The questions below can serve as a basis for an in-class discussion or be used as essay topics:

How did the cultural agenda of the Belle Époque influence “The Necklace’s” narrative?
What would Mathilde’s life be like without losing the necklace?
Do manifestations of love bring any joy to “The Necklace” characters?
Which gender stereotypes of the 19th century have you recognized in Mathilde Loisel?
What is the meaning of happiness for each character in “The Necklace?”
Mathilde’s internal conflict: Does she deserve what she wants?
How does patriarchy affect Mathilde’s life?
What determines the value of things in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant?
Do you sympathize with Mathilde’s misery, and why?
Could Monsieur Loisel change the situation with the lost necklace?
Is Mathilde’s “suffering” at the beginning of the story an exaggeration?
A triumphant disaster: Was Mathilde’s success at the party fueled by her imagination?
Could the relationship between Mathilde and Madame Forestier be called a friendship?
Why was Mathilde the most beautiful woman at the party?
What is the moral of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant?

💡 Topic Sentence for The Necklace Essay: Examples

A topic sentence presents the paragraph’s main idea, usually followed by reasoning or evidence. If you need help formulating topic sentences for a “The Necklace” essay, check out the examples below:

Topic: The most emotionally charged quote from “The Necklace”

Thesis statement: The quote “This life lasted ten years” is the most charged sentence in “The Necklace” because of its emotional weight, its emphasis on time, and what it reveals about the characters.
Body paragraph 1: The seemingly generic phrase “this life” gives the sentence emotional weight by making it sound as though an entire lifetime has passed.
Body paragraph 2: The phrase “ten years” conveys the sheer length of what constitutes a large part of human life.
Body paragraph 3: The sentence as a whole suggests an absence of any perspective at the end of the characters’ ten years of suffering.

🏆 Best The Necklace Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

Identity in Maupassant’s “The Necklace” and Alvi’s “An Unknown Girl”
In the case of “The Necklace,” the story is centered around a woman whose identity does not match her aspirations and dreams of being a member of the wealthy class.
Character of Mathilde Loisel in Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Forestier, rarely valued the beauty in her since she considered the dress and the necklace as the major contributing factors to the appealing appearance. The pride and vanity in her result to a life full […]
How The Necklace Story Relate to You?
Towards the end of the story, Mathilde Loise decides to tell the truth to Madame Forestier concerning the necklace and the misery that she had undergone.
Mathilde Loisel in The Necklace by Maupassant
As a young woman, she believes her aspirations and ambitions to be the most important aspects of her existence, which must be accomplished at any cost.
Theme and Characters of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
She is unhappy with her current lifestyle and constantly dreams of the riches and glamour that she feels her beauty deserves.
The Short Story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
It is the first time the author combines the concepts of joy and sincerity of Mathilde’s feelings together in “The Necklace;” this scene also creates a drastic contrast with the beginning of the short story, […]
Crane’s On the Open Boat vs. Maupassant’s The Necklace
These forces, including the ocean, its currents, the winds, and the sun, control the characters’ lives, showing the determinism and naturalism in the power source.
Deeper Meaning of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Mathilde’s desire for an imaginary life is the cause of all her woes, as it leads to the party invitation and the ensuing ruin.
Ideas in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Just the same way that the necklace deceived her that it is a real diamond, she also managed to deceive everyone at the party that she is wealthy and beautiful.
Analysis of The Necklace and The Prodigal Son
Similarly, in the story of the prodigal son, the younger son did not appreciate the life that his father provided him.
Maupassant’s Short Story Comparison
The short story was published as part of Maupassant’s “Les Soirees de Medan” short story collection.”Boule de Suif” was published in 1880, the period after the French were defeated in the Franco-Prussian War.”Boule de Suif” […]

📌 Most Interesting The Necklace Topics to Write about

The Similarities and Differences Between “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Complex Character of Mathilde Loisel in “The Necklace”
Views of Women in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Examples of Personification in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
A Comparison of the Women in the Star and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Life of Guy de Maupassant Exposed in “The Necklace”
Comparison of the Similarities and Differences in the “Outside Edges” by Ivan Dorin and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Relationship Between “The Necklace” and “The Story of an Hour”
Selfishness in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Danger of Pride and Discontentment in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Description of Madame Loisel in “The Necklace”
The Consequences of Misfortune and Greed in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Human Nature in Relation to “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Importance of the Class of an Individual in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Unfortunate Woman in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
An Analysis of the Theme of Love in “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

👍 Good Research Topics about The Necklace

Women in Poverty in “The Necklace” Guy de Maupassant and “The Gift of the Magi”
The Theme of Pride in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Essential Themes in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
An Analysis of the Selfishness of Mathilde Loisel of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Characters’ Mental Growth in “The Necklace”
The Element of Surprise in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
A Comparison of the Protagonists in “The Necklace” and “The Gift of Magi”
The Development of Irony in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Desire of Freedom in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, and “A Rose
for Emily” by William Faulkner
An Analysis of the Defeatism in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The True Significance Behind “The Necklace”
Roles of Female Characters in “The Necklace” and Life in the Country
Thematic Progression of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Wearing Truth and Deception: Symbolism in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Jealousy and Envy in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Situational Irony in O. Henry’s “The Ransom of Red Chief” and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Power of Money in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
The Illustration of Obsession in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” and Virginia Woolf’s “Solid Objects”
Obsession in “The Necklace” and “Solid Objects”
The Value of Possessions Examined in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Comparison of Themes in Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case” and Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
The Historical Time Period of Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
Use of Setting to Reflect Main Character in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
Theme Comparison in “The Necklace” and “The Story of an Hour”

“The Necklace” is one of those short stories that can be analyzed indefinitely from every angle imaginable. We hope the topics in this article will inspire you for your literary research! Check out the respective sections for more information on the characters, symbols, and themes of “The Necklace,” as well as the Q&A.

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