Question

Which of these best describes Madame Loisel?

Madame Loisel becomes kind and helpful.

Madame Loisel rises to the status of a wealthy, important woman.

Ο Ο Ο

Madame Loisel changes from an idealistic dreamer to a hardworking woman who shows responsibility.

Madame Loisel becomes the housemaid for Madame Forestier.

O

Madame Loisel remains foolish and idealistic throughout the story.

Answer 1

The option that best describes Madame Loisel is:

C. Madame Loisel changes from an idealistic dreamer to a hardworking woman who shows responsibility.

Step-by-step explanation:

Madame Loisel is the main character in Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Diamond Necklace". At the beginning of the story, Madame Loisel is a pretty woman who happens to be utterly discontented with her life. She has great taste for fine and rich things, but she is not wealthy. Even though she does live a comfortable life and does not have to work, she wishes things were different.

One night, after a party, she loses a diamond necklace she had borrowed from a wealthy friend. Believing the necklace to be a real one, she buys another to replace it with her husband's help. They end up having to work extremely hard for ten years to pay for it. Madame Loisel goes from being a dreamer to being a hardworking woman. She is no longer concerned with her appearance. Survival is more important now:

"[...] heavy, rough, harsh, like one of the poor. Her hair untended, her skirts askew, her hands red, her voice shrill...."

In the end, the necklace she lost is revealed to have been a fake one.