Setting

Physical setting

The events described in the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant take place in Paris, France. 

Some of the events take place in the Loisels’ home on Rue des Martyrs, where Mathilde contrasts the poverty of the house with the luxuries she dreams of: “She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the wretched look of the walls, from the worn-out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains”. When she becomes angry with the appearance of her home, Mathilde “thought of the silent ante-chambers hung with Oriental tapestry, lit by tall bronze candelabra, and of the two great footmen in knee-breeches who sleep in the big arm-chairs...”. The place in Mathilde’s mind highlights her escapist tendencies.

Similarly, Mathilde c...