Question

In this excerpt from Guy de Maupassant’s "The Necklace," which group of words helps the reader understand the meaning of the word poverty?

The girl was one of those pretty and charming young creatures who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no expectations, no way of being known, understood, loved, married by any rich and distinguished man; so she let herself be married to a little clerk of the Ministry of Public Instruction.

She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station; since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of family and birth. Natural ingenuity, instinct for what is elegant, a supple mind are their sole hierarch, and often make of women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.

Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries. She was distressed at the poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains. All those things, of which another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and made her angry. The sight of the little Breton peasant who did her humble housework aroused in her despairing regrets and bewildering dreams. She thought of silent antechambers hung with Oriental tapestry, illumined by tall bronze candelabra, and of two great footmen in knee breeches who sleep in the big armchairs, made drowsy by the oppressive heat of the stove. She thought of long reception halls hung with ancient silk, of the dainty cabinets containing priceless curiosities and of the little coquettish perfumed reception rooms made for chatting at five o'clock with intimate friends, with men famous and sought after, whom all women envy and whose attention they all desire.

Answer 1

"at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains".

Step-by-step explanation:

Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" revolves around the story of a woman who wanted badly to be among the elite class of their society. And in her want to do that, she and her husband attended a party on borrowed 'necklace' which they lost and had to sacrifice their own money to cover up for the loss.

Mathilde's need to be along the 'beautiful, rich, elite section of the society was one of her most wanted desires. And it was because of this feeling of want that led to the borrowing of the necklace in the first place. And when they lost it after the party, they had no choice but to recoup the loss and spend their savings on paying back for the lost 'treasure'. But the irony is that they did not realize the truth about the lost necklace and thus, spent their life's savings on paying for fake jewelry while they had to suffer immeasurably to not embarrass themselves among the others.

The group of words that helps the readers get to know or understand the meaning of the word "poverty" can be found in the phrases "at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains". All these words clearly suggest the impoverished nature of Mathilde.