Class 12 English A Voyage Chapter 2 The Diamond Necklace Questions and Answers
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The Diamond Necklace Class 12th Question Answer
Word Power
A. Mathilde has been described as a pretty girl. The zoords-pretty, beautiful and gorgeous convey almost the same idea ‘good-looking’ but the intensity of the idea is different. Rearrange the words in each group from the least to the highest intensity;
1. distinguished, well-known, famous.
2. exhausted, tired, sluggish.
3. exquisite, dainty, graceful.
4. torturous, oppressive, troubling.
5. magnificent, beautiful, stunning.
6. priceless, costly, precious.
7. ecstasy, gladness, happiness.
8. bewildered, puzzled, disoriented.
9. shocked, thunderstruck, amazed.
10. proud, self-satisfied, egoistical.
Answer:
- well-known, famous, distinguished.
- tired, sluggish, exhausted:
- graceful, exquisite, dainty.
- troubling, oppressive, torturous.
- beautiful, magnificent, stunning.
- costly, precious, priceless.
- happiness, gladness, ecstacy.
- puzzled, disoriented, bewildered.
- shocked, amazed, thunderstruck.
- self-satisfied, proud, egoistical.
B. In each set of words given below, one word is the exactly opposite of the first word. The rest are nearer to each other in meaning. Identify them and put them in the proper columns in the table given below:
(i) strange, weird, familiar, odd.
(ii) ancient, primeval, modern, ageless.
(iii) envy, prejudice, jealousy, goodwill.
(iv) delicious, tasteless, sumptuous, delectable.
(u) irritated, exasperated, unperturbed, vexed.
(vi) convinced, uncertain, sure, certain.
(vii) queer, peculiar, bizarre, commonplace.
(viii) homage, reverence, disrespect, tribute.
(ix) charming, appealing, delightful, unattractive.
(x) impertinence, brazenness, insolence, respect.
Answer:
| Word |
Antonym |
Words nearer to each other in meaning |
strange
ancient
envy
delicious
irritated
convinced
queer
homage
charming
impertinence |
familiar
modem
goodwill
tasteless
unperturbed
uncertain
commonplace
disrespect
unattractive
respect |
weird
primeval
prejudice
delectable
vexed
sure
peculiar
tribute
delightful
brazenness |
odd
ageless
jealousy
sumptuous
exasperated
certain
bizarre
reverence
appealing
insolence |
C. The words given below have more than one meaning. Use each of them in two separate sentences of your own to bring out different meanings:
dress, rank, sight, heat, bore, company, shoot, pale, shop, paste.
- Dress : (i) His dress is wonderful.
(ii) She dressed herself in a modest way.
- Rank : (i) Jack holds a high rank in army.
(ii) I was ranked second in the race.
- Sight : (i) This awful sight depressed me.
(ii) An unidentified flying object was sighted last month
- Heat : (i) The heat of the water is unbearable.
(ii) Heat the water for tea.
- Bore : (i) Ramesh is a great bore to everyone.
(ii) I was extremely bored with that movie.
- Company: (i) My father is CEO in a software company.
(ii) Avoid bad company to make your future bright.
- Shoot : (i) I was invited to host a photo shoot expo.
(ii) Shoot the tiger.
- Pale : (i) He became pale due to the disease.
(ii) His face was paled at this news.
- Shop : (i) There is no good book shop in my 1ocality
(ii) My friends like to shop in the weekend.
- Paste : (i) Mustard paste is good for skin.
(ii) Don’t paste the ticket here.
A. Answer the following questions in one sentence each:
Question 1.
Who was Mathilde married to?
Answer:
Mathilde was married to Mr Loisel, a clerk.
Question 2.
Where was Mathilde’s husband employed?
Answer:
Mathilde’s husband was employed in the Ministry of Public Instruction.
Question 3.
Why did Mathilde wear plain dresses?
Answer:
Mathilde wore plain dresses because she couldn’t afford costly ones.
Question 4.
What was there in the envelope Mathilde’s husband gave her?
Answer:
There was an invitation card to a party in the envelope.
Question 5.
How much money did Mathilde ask for from her husband to buy a gown?
Answer:
Mathilde asked for four hundred francs from her husband to buy a gown.
Question 6.
When did the couple go to the ministerial ball?
Answer:
The couple went to the ministerial ball at night.
Question 7.
How much did the necklace at Palaise Royale cost?
Answer:
The necklace at Palaise Royale costed forty thousand francs.
Question 8.
How did Madame Forestier react when Mathilde returned the necklace?
Answer:
When Mathilde returned the necklace Madame Forestier reacted that she (Mathilde) should have returned it sooner. She (Forestier) might have needed it.
Question 9.
How long did it take Mathilde and Loisel to repay the cost of the necklace?
Answer:
It took ten years for Mathilde and Loisel to repay the cost of the necklace.
Question 10.
What was the actual cost of the necklace?
Answer:
The actual cost of the necklace was only five hundred francs.
B. Answer the following questions in about 60 words each:
Question 1.
Was Mathilde dissatisfied with her life? What makes you think so?
Answer:
Yes, Mathilde was dissatisfied with her life as she was extraordinarily pretty and charming girl. As, she had been born into a family of unfavourable economic status had no dowry to pay, so she was destined to marry an ordinary clerk. She had lost all her hopes and aspirations. She had no means to fulfill her desires. She had no beautiful dresses to flaunt. There was no one to praise her beauty. She longed for luxuries and led an ordinary life.
Question 2.
What things did Mathilde resent in her life? (M.P. Board 2009)
Answer:
There were many things that Mathilde resented all her life. But the most important of it was her being born and married in an ordinary family devoid of all the luxuries. She had no good and costly dresses, She had poor dwellings. But unluckily, she was destined to live in a wretched house with barren walls. She had shabby chairs and ugly curtains. She had no rank and profile in society. Seeing her rich and well off married friends tortured her and made her angry.
Question 3.
On receiving the invitation to the-ball, Mathilde wept. Why? (M.P. Board 2010)
Answer:
When Mathilde’s husband, Mr. Loisel brought the invitation to the ball, she wept instead of being delighted because she had no jewels, no gowns, and nothing of the sort that can match the grand party. She resent being married to such an ordinary man as she was a lady with high ambitions.
Question 4.
Describe Mathilde’s feelings while she was sifting through her friend’s jewellery.
Answer:
Mathilde on the advice of her husband went to borrow some ornaments for the ball from her friend Madame Forestier. Since Mathilde was not rich enough to buy the jewellery for herself she get really happy to see a large collection of ornaments that her friend had. She tried each and every ornament and was lost in them. She enjoyed while sifting through her friend’s jewellery. She was feeling hesitated and did not wish to part from the jewellery or give them back. Her interest was at its peak and can be understood by her statement “Haven’t you anymore?” Which not only shows how much she enjoyed trying the jewellery but also her hidden desire to possess one.
Question 5.
How did Mathilde fare at the ball? (M.P. Board 2011)
Answer:
At the party Madame Loisel was a great success. She was prettier than any other woman
present. She was elegant, graceful, smiling and filled with joy. Everyone was attracted to her and wished to be familiar with her. The attaches of the cabinet wished to dance with her. Even the minister himself was attracted to her. She fared well more than she had thought for.
Question 6.
Why did Mathilde not take a cab at the minister’s house but took one on the quay?
Answer:
Mathilde did not take a cab at the minister’s home but took one on the way since she was ashamed of her low status and felt embarrassed before other ladies. Her modest wraps reminded her of their poor earnings and ordinary life. She wanted to hide her poverty which was continuously reminded to her through her wrap. She wanted to avoid the remarks of other women who enveloped themselves in fine fur. She wanted to escape from that place as soon as possible and did not care about the cold and went till the quay to get one cab.
Question 7.
What efforts did Loisel make to find the necklace?
Answer:
It was really very shocking for them to lose the necklace. They were nervous. They looked among the folds of Mathilde’s skirt, of her cloak, in her pockets and everywhere but all in vain. The necklace was found nowhere. Loisel made all his efforts. He followed the cab. He went around the minister’s house. He went to the police headquarter, to the newspaper offices to offer reward. He did everything but could not find the necklace.
Question 8.
How did Loisel arrange the money for the necklace?
Answer:
The couple had to face great trouble after the diamond necklace was lost. They found a similar one in a jewellery shop. Its cost was forty thousand francs which was really a huge amount for them. They bargained it for thirty-six thousand francs. Loisel had eighteen thousand francs his father had left for him. He had to borrow a thousand francs of one, five hundred of another, five louis here, three louis there. He gave notes, took up ruinous obligation, dealt with usures and all the race of lenders. In this way, he could manage the cost of the necklace.
Question 9.
How did Mathilde and Loisel repay the cost of the necklace? (M.P. Board 2012)
Answer:
Mathilde and Loisel had to pay a very heavy price to meet the cost of the new necklace. The arrangement of the money for the necklace proved to be a ruin for the rest of their life. They had to compromise for the whole life thereafter. They dismissed their servants, changed their lodgings and rented a garrage under the roof. Mathilde did all the household work herself. She washed the dishes, soiled linen, the shirts, and the discloths and carried water. She dressed like a common woman, went to fruiter, the grocer, the butcher and everywhere and bargained for every sou. Loisel himself worked in the evenings making up tradesman’s account and late at night often copied manuscript for five sous a page. It took ten years for them to compensate the loss.
Question 10.
What change did the ordeal of repaying bring about in Mathilde?
Answer:
The loss of the necklace took a heavy toll to the life of the Loisels. Mathilde and Loisel over strained themselves. As a result they grew old prematurely. Specially Mathilde had 1 become the woman of impoverished households. She looked strong and rough with frousy hair, skirts, askew and red hands. She talked loud washing on the floor with great swishes of water. She lost all her beauty and charm in due course.
C. Answer the following questions in about 75 words each:
Question 1.
How would you rate Mathilde as an ambitious woman or as an honest woman? Justify
your answer.
Answer:
Mathilde was a pretty and extraordinarily charming lady with high hopes. She was over- ambitious. But by ill-luck she had to compromise with her poverty Once when she got a chance she wished to quench her thirst of ambitions. In the story, The Necklace, Mathilde borrowed a necklace from her rich friend Madame Forestier to show off herself in the party. Unfortunately, she lost it. She had to spend thirty-six thousand francs to replace it. She was forced to undergo various difficulties to pay the debt of eighteen thousand francs. She had to shift to a cheaper one room house and remove her servant.
Mathilde and her husband had to lower their standard of living for full ten years. She looked older than her age. But in the end she found from her friend that the cost of necklace was only five hundred francs because its diamonds were not original. In this way her over- ambitious nature and her love for ornaments was responsible for her difficult life. At least for ten years they took to repay the debt.
Question 2.
What kind of husband was Loisel?
Answer:
Loisel is a caring and loving husband. He is a simple man. He is not over-ambitious like Mathilde. He would very happily relish the potpie, while she would think of rich life. When Mathilde refuses to go to the party, he tries his best to make her agree. He gives her four hundred francs to buy a pretty gown. This amount he had been saving to purchase a gun for himself. On the day of the ball, Mathilde again grumbles that she has no ornaments to wear for this occasion.
Then he suggests her that she can borrow it from her rich friend Madame Forestier. In the party, whereas Mathilde danced up till four o’clock in the morning, Loisel was half asleep in a small room since midnight. When he comes to know about the lost necklace, he does not rebuke his wife. Rather, to pay off the debt of eighteen thousand francs, he overworked for ten years and suffered other inconveniences like shifting to a smaller house. Therefore, we can say that Loisel was a simple man, who loved his wife tremendously.
Question 3.
Do you think it was unfortunate for Mathilde to have married Loisel? Why?
Answer:
Mathilde was an extraordinary girl with all the charms and beauty. But her fate made her compromise with the reality of life. She had to marry a middle class poor clerk working with the Ministry of Public Instruction. Loisel was a devoted and loving husband who made sure that his wife never compromises. He was understanding of her sentiments and compromised with his desires to fulfill his wishes.
He willingly gave his savings of four hundred franes to her for her lavish ball gown when she lost the necklace, he didn’t loose his colours and put all his efforts to search the necklace. He worked hard for ten years to pay off for the diamond necklace she had to bought as she lost the original necklace. She was very fortunate in her marriage as she had as honest man whose life revolved around his wife. It was her own high ambitions and misdesires which lead to so much sorrow, pain and stroggle in her life.
Question 4.
In what way was Madame Forestier different from Madame Loisel?
Answer:
Madame Forestier and Madame Loisel both are contrary to each other. Madame Forestier is a rich and high profile lady. She is completely materialisitc and formal. When Madame Loisel goes to ask her for jewellery, she shows her affluency putting a large jewel box before her and says, “Choose my dear,”. She is very much formal with Mathilde. Mathilde takes a diamond necklace from her for the party, which unluckily she loses. Mathilde replaces the necklace with great trouble.
When she goes to return it Madame Forestier very rudely says, that she should have returned it sooner and that she might have needed . it. Towards the end when Mathilde tells her misery to her she simply says that her necklace was a paste.. On the other hand, Madame Loisel is an honest lady. She is informal. She hesitates to go to Forestier after losing the necklace and manages to replace it with the Same one which costed her thirty six thousand francs. It ruined her life. She feels stunned when she comes to know that the necklace was artificial. She is simple and hard working too.
Question 5.
What do you think would have happened if Mathilde had not lost the necklace that night?
Answer:
Mathilde had borrowed the necklace from her rich friend Madame Forestier to wear at the party. Unluckily the necklace was lost by her. To get a new necklace they had to . borrow eighteen thousand francs on a higher rate of interest to repay the debt they had to lead miserable life for ten long years.
Had Mathilde not lost the necklace, her husband would not have borrowed money and their life would have been better. Though they would not have led a luxurious life, yet they would, at least, have been free from the hard difficulties of life. They would not have had to shift to a cheap one room house and put so much hard labour.
They still would have had a servant in the house and Mathilde would not have to do all the household work by herself. Her husband would not have had to work in the evening and late in the night. She would not have had to toil hard and become rough and old. Mathilde would have remained charming and equally ambitious and would never have understood the pains of miserable life.
Grammar
A. When Loisel meant to say that Mathilde had not dropped the necklace in the street, he said, “If you had lost it in the street, we should have heard it fall,”
English can express three important ideas with ‘If.
Type 1: Open condition: Conditionals of this type tell us that something will happen if a certain condition is fulfilled ‘If you study hard, you will get a first class.’
Type 2 : Improbable or Imaginary Condition: We use conditionals of this type when we talk about something which we don’t expect to happen or which is purely imaginary ‘If you studied hard, you would get a first class.’
Type 3: Unfulfilled Condition: We use these conditionals when we mean to say that something did not happen because a certain condition was not fulfilled—’If you had studied hard,, you would have got a first class’.
But you didn’t! Why? Because you didn’t work hard.
Now convert the following sentences given in Type 1 conditional form into the other two forms. The first one is done for you.
(i) He will come if you ask.
He would come if you asked.
He would have come if you had asked.
(ii) If you ring the bell, the servant will come.
(iii) You’ll catch the train if you hire a taxi.
(iv) I shall come and see you if I have time.
(v) If my father allows me, I will come to the party.
(in) If you go to town, will you buy something for me?
(vii) If you step on the dog’s tail, it will bite you.
(viii) We shall be pleased if our school wins.
(ix) The soldiers will fight bravely if they understand the orders. .
(x) If he buys a motorcycle for Rs.10,000 and sells it for Rs.12,000, he’ll make a good profit.
Answer:
(ii) If you rang the bell, the servant would come.
If you had rung the bell, the servant would have come.
(iii) You would catch the train if you hired a taxi.
You would have caught the train, if you had hired a taxi.
(iv) I should come and see you if I had time.
I should have come and see you if I had had time.
(v) If my father allowed me, I would come to the party.
If my father had allowed me, I would have come to the party.
(vi) If you went to town, would you buy something for me?
If you had gone to town, would you have bought something for me?
(vii) If you stepped on the dog’s tail, it would bite you.
If you had stepped on the dog’s tail, it would have, bitten you.
(viii) We should be pleased if our school won. .
We should have been pleased if our school had won.
(ix) The soldiers would fight bravely if they understood the orders.
The soldiers would have fought bravely if they had understood the orders.
(x) If he bought a motorcycle for Rs. 10,000 and sold it for Rs. 12,000, he would make a good profit. If he had bought a motorcycle for Rs. 10,000 and had sold it for Rs.12,000, he would have made a good profit.
B. Try to read the following excerpt:
i have i have ive lost madame forestiers necklace she cried he stood up bewildered what how impossible
This excerpt is unpunctuated. It is difficult to understand the meaning of this excerpt clearly. Let us now read it in the punctuated form:
“I have-I have-I’ve lost Madame Forestier’s necklace,” she cried. He stood up, bewildered. “What!-how? Impossible!”
Now we can easily understand the excerpt. So punctuation makes our expression clearer and easier to follow. We use stops or marks of punctuation to separate one sentence from another, or one part of a sentence from another part. You have studied them in detail in previous classes. However, given below are the main marks of punctuation to refresh your memory.
The main marks of punctuation are:
- Fullstop (.)
- Comma (,)
- Semicolon (;)
- Colon (:)
- Mark of interrogation (?)
- Mark of Exclamation (!)
- Quotation marks or inverted commas (” “)
- Dash (—)
- Hyphen (-)
- Parenthesis and the Apostrophe (‘)
Now punctuate the following:
1. the teacher said Mary have you done the sums many said no madam i did not understand them
2. why is a river so rich asked tarunrita said a river is rich because it has two banks
3. a father had two sons the elder was wise clever and diligent the younger was foolish lazy and careless one day the father called the younger son and said why do you waste your time doing nothing
4. the man was angry with his servant and said why have you again disturbed me in my sleep i am very sorry sir excuse me this time said the servant
5. the laws of most countries today are split into two kinds criminal law and civil law
Answer:
- The teacher said, “Mary! Have you done the sums?” Mary said, “No madam! I did not understand them.”
- “Why is a river so rich?” asked Tarun. Rita said, “A river is rich because it has two banks.”
- A father had two sons. The elder was wise, clever and diligent. The younger was foolish, lazy and careless. One day, the father called the younger son and said, “Why do you waste your time doing nothing?”
- The man was angry with his servant and said, “Why have you again disturbed me in my sleep?” “I am very sorry sir, excuse me this time”, said the servant.
- The laws of most countries today are split into two kinds—criminal law and civil law.
Speaking Activity
A. Work in groups of four or five. List the points for and against the topic ‘Ambition leads a man to success’. Half the number of groups should work for’ and the other half ‘against’ the motion. Present your views in the class in the form of a debate.
Answer:
A. Do at class level. Some points are given below:
For:
- Ambition gives determination.
- Ambition makes one plan systematically.
- One finds ways to fulfill the ambition.
- Ambition makes one courageous, enthusiastic and meticulous.
- One labours hard to reach the zenith.
- Without ambition one can never succeed.
Against:
- Ambition may lead to corruption.
- It may create evil ways for one to reach the top.
- One may be blind to one’s ambition.
B. Present before the class a short speech on your ambition(s) and how you intend to achieve it (them).
Answer:
I am a student of class XII. Right from the very beginning, I nourish an ambition to climb Mount Everest. I am determined for it. I have gone under various training for it. I am trying to build my body well enough to climb the height of the Everest. I am also trying to cultivate perseverance in myself. Next year, I shall go for a mountaineering expedition. It will show me the way. My parents and friends are all giving me support and courage for it. I hope to be the youngest to achieve this success.
Writing Activity
A. You are Mathilde. You have just returned from the ball and found that the necklace you borrowed from your affluent friend is missing. Write down your feelings in the form of a diary entry.
Answer:
25th June, Sunday 4 a.m.
I have just come back from the party of the Minister of Education. Oh! what a wonderful experience I had! For the first time in my life I felt what I am. Since I got married to Mr. Loisel, I had never thought, I am so pretty. For the party, I had borrowed a diamond necklace from my friend Madame Forestier. I was so charming that everyone including the Minister himself came closer to me. After all, it was an unforgettable moment. But as I came back home, I found the necklace missing. I was shocked. All my happiness disappeared. My husband tried to search for it everywhere but all in vain. I don’t understand what would we do to return the necklace. Now I feel my husband was right when he told me to wear flowers. However, the mistake has been committed and now, I can do nothing except accepting the tough trolling ahead. I am very upset. I am also afraid, how will I confront Madame Forestier.
B. Write a notice for display at prominent places as Mathilde would have put up when the necklace was lost.
Answer:
Notice
Lost! – Lost!! – Lost!!!
A beautiful diamond necklace has been lost somewhere on the Circular Road between the house of the Minister of Education and the Church Gate on Sunday night. If anyone finds it, please inform or meet at the address given below. The person will be rewarded.
Mathilde
Contact:
C1/M225,
Circular Road
Near Church Gate, Bhopal
Phone No : 9414311921
Think it over
A.What is the moral of the story, The Diamond Necklace? Should all good stories teach a lesson?
Answer:
The Diamond Necklace is a story that tells the tragic effect of one’s over-ambition. Mathilde and her husband Mr Loisel are the protagonists. Mathilde is a pretty and charming lady with not so good fate. As she had no dowry, she was destined to marry a poor middle class man. Her husband is a clerk in the Ministry of Instruction. She has suppressed her expectation but once she gets a chance to attend to a party arranged by the Minister of Instruction himself.
She borrows a diamond necklace from one of her rich friends. She loses it and it brings the ruin to all her charm. She replaces the necklace by spending thirty-six thousand francs. She and her husband over strain themselves to repay the borrowed amount. It takes ten years to overcome the nightmare. Had she not borrowed the necklace, she would not have suffered so much. At last, she comes to know that the diamond necklace, that she lost was artificial costing not more than five hundred francs.
So, she lost her life for a fake thing. Hence, the moral of the story is that we must realize our reality. We should never wish too much for things beyond our capacity. Never borrow from others and adjust within your limits and be happy.
Yes, I feel that all the good stories should teach a lesson as in that way we can understand how good or bad we behave in the society. Moral values are degrading day by day in our society. These stories will help in reaffirming the lost morals of our society.
B. Some of your friends may be good at imitating others speech, mannerism, etc. Such children are often popular among peers but seldom among elders. Why?
Answer:
Some of the children imitate others. They can be interesting and funny among their friends. It is for the limited time that they are taken to be genius and get appreciation from their friends but the elders never like them. It is because they know that imitation is not a good tendency. It may lead to corrupt one. It may promote bad habits among children. One should develop one’s own talent and skills. It provides originality which lasts long.
Things to Do
Etymology is the study of the origin and development of a word, a prefix, a suffix etc., Look up for the word coquettish in a good dictionary. It is the adjective of the word coquette, which itself is mid-17th century French feminine of coquet derived from coq meaning ‘a little cock’.
Find out the roots of the following words and write them under the proper heading: radius, democracy, petite, capital, chalet, pneumonia, regal, delta, discotheque, axis, charade, philosophy, lymph, restaurant, anthrax.
Answer:
| French |
Latin |
Greek |
| petite |
radius |
democracy |
| chalet |
axis |
capital |
| discotheque |
lymph |
delta |
| restaurant |
regal |
philosophy |
| charade |
— |
pneumonia |
| — |
— |
anthrax |
The Diamond Necklace by G.D. Maupassant Introduction
This story is about the irony of the Me in the life of a woman called Mathilda Loisel. She is very ambitious. In order to show her off in a ball she borrows a diamond necklace. Eventually she loses it in the party. She along with her husband does hard labour to purchase a similar diamond necklace. In the end, she is Rocked to know that the necklace that she had lost was artificial.
The Diamond Necklace Summary in English
Mathilde Loisel was a beautiful, young lady. She was born in a middle class family. She was very ambitious. She thought that she had nothing to feel proud of. It was not possible for her to marry a rich man. So, she got married to a clerk. This clerk was serving in the Ministry of Public Instruction. Mathilde, being highly ambitious, was not happy because she could not lead a luxurious life. She had to wear simple clothes and had to live in a mediocre apartment with shabby walls and shabby furniture and curtains. She was jealous of her own schoolmates who were rich.
She felt small and would weep after visiting them.One day, her husband brought her an invitation card. But she was not very happy because she had no good and beautiful clothes to wear on the occasion. So, her husband arranged to buy a gown for her for 400 francs. He had saved this money to buy a gun for himself. As the date for the party came near, she looked sad again. It was because she had no jewellery befitting the occasion. She thought that she would be considered a poor lady in the party. Her husband advised her to borrow some ornaments from her rich friend Madame Forestier. Poor Loisel liked this suggestion. Next day she went to her friend’s house and borrowed a diamond necklace.
She attended the ball with her husband and everyone was paying attention to her. She was the prettiest of all the women present there. All the men were fascinated with her charm. They wanted to be introduced to her. All the officials of the Ministry expressed their desire to dance with her. Even the minister took notice of her.
She was intoxicated by pleasure. She was greatly excited and happy. She danced with passion. She forgot everything in the victory of her beauty and felt elated over her success. She danced and danced in the hall till about four o’clock in the morning. When she had finished, her husband threw the modest shawl he had brought for her. After reaching home, she stood before the mirror. She wanted to see herself once more in all her glory. However, she was shocked to see that there was no necklace around her neck and then cried in dismay.
Mathilde informed her husband that she had lost the necklace. Her husband was bewildered. They looked for the necklace everywhere but all in vain. Mr. Loisel went out to search it on the way. She was waiting in her ball dress. She had no more strength left to go to bed. Her husband returned at about seven o’clock but he could not find the necklace anywhere.
On the advice of her husband, Mathilde wrote a letter to her friend Madame Forestier saying that the clasp of the necklace was broken, so it had been sent for repairs. In this way they got some time to buy another diamond necklace. After going from, one shop to the other, at last they found a necklace similar to the lost one. The shopkeeper demanded 40,000 francs as its price. The bargain finally was settled for 36,000 francs. Mathilde’s husband had only 18,000 francs with him. He borrowed the remaining 18,000 francs on high rate of interest. They bought the necklace and sent it to Madame Forestier. She did not care to see it.
Now a life of hardship began for Mathilde and her husband. They had to pay off the debt of 18,000 francs. For this, they had to shift to a very cheap room. They removed the servant. Now Mathilde did the household work herself. She fetched water, washed the floor of the house, utensils and dirty clothes all by herself. She did shopping by herself. Her husband worked in the evening and late at night to pay back 18,000 francs. They had paid the entire amount at I the end of tenth year. But Mathilde had to pay a heavy price for it.
She look ed like an ordinary woman. She looked old now. She was now a tough and rough woman. One Sunday, Mathilde went out to take a walk. She saw Madame Forestier there and went up to her. Madame Forestier was surprised to see her so much changed. Mathilde told her that she had to lead a very tough life and it was because of her. Madame Forestier was puzzled to hear it. Then Mathilde explained to her how she had lost her diamond necklace and had to buy another for 36,000 francs to replace it. It had taken them ten years to pay for it. Madame Forestier was moved to hear Mathilde’s tragic story. She revealed to Mathilde that her necklace was worth” only five hundred francs and the diamonds were artificial and not real.
The Diamond Necklace Summary in Hindi
मैथिल्ड लॉयसल एक बहुत सुन्दर, आकर्षक नवयुवती थी। वह एक मध्यवर्गीय परिवार में पैदा हुई थी। वह बहुत ही महत्वाकांक्षी थी। वह सोचती थी कि उसके पास ऐसा कुछ नहीं है जिस पर वह घमण्ड कर सके। उसके लिए यह संभव नहीं था कि वह किसी अमीर या प्रसिद्ध व्यक्ति से विवाह करे। इस प्रकार उसका विवाह एक क्लर्क से हो गया, जो कि मिनिस्ट्री ऑफ पब्लिक इन्सट्रॅक्शन में कार्य करता था। बहुत महत्त्वाकांक्षी होने के कारण वह खुश नहीं थी क्योंकि वह विलासी जीवन व्यतीत नहीं कर सकती थी। वह साधारण वस्त्र पहनती थी और मध्यम श्रेणी के एक कमरे में रहती थी जिसकी दीवारें बहुत पुरानी थीं। वह अपने विद्यालय में पढ़ने वाली उन सहपाठियों से ईर्ष्या करती थी जो कि अमीर थीं। उनसे मिलने के बाद वह बहुत रोती थी।
एक दिन उसका पति उसके लिए एक निमंत्रण पत्र लाया। लेकिन वह प्रसन्न नहीं थी क्योंकि उसके पास इस अवसर पर पहनने के लिए अच्छे वस्त्र नहीं थे। इसलिए उसके पति ने 400 फ्रैंक्स का एक गाउन खरीदने का प्रबंध किया। उसने यह पैसे अपने लिए बन्दूक खरीदने के लिए बचाए थे। जैसे-जैसे दावत की तिथि पास आ रही थी वह पुनः बहुत उदास नजर आ रही थी। ऐसा इसलिए था क्योंकि उसके पास इस अवसर पर पहनने लायक आभूषण नहीं थे। वह सोचती थी कि वह एक सबसे गरीब महिला होगी। उसके पति ने उसे सलाह दी कि वह अपनी अमीर सहेली मैडम फरिस्टियर से कुछ आभूषण उधार ले ले। बेचारी Loisel को यह सुझाव पसन्द आया। अगले दिन वह अपनी सहेली के घर गई और एक हीरे का हार उधार ले आई।
जब उसने अपने पति के साथ नृत्य किया, तो प्रत्येक व्यक्ति उसी की ओर देख रहा था। वह वहाँ उपस्थित सभी महिलाओं में सबसे सुन्दर महिला थी। सभी व्यक्ति उसकी सुन्दरता पर मोहित थे। वे सभी उससे परिचित होना चाहते थे। मंत्रालय के सभी अधिकारियों ने उसके साथ नृत्य करने की इच्छा व्यक्त की। Minister तक का उस पर ध्यान गया।
वह प्रसन्नता से मदमस्त हो गई। वह मस्ती में नृत्य करने लगी। वह अपनी सुन्दरता की विजय में सब कुछ भूल गई। वह अपनी सफलता पर काफी उल्लासित हो रही थी। वह सुबह 4 बजे उस बड़े कमरे (हॉल) से निकली। उसके पति ने उस पर साधारण शाल डाल दिया। घर पहुँचने के बाद वह शीशे के सामने खड़ी हो गई। वह स्वयं को एक बार पुनः गौरव से देखना चाहती थी। परन्तु वह यह देखकर सन्न रह गई कि उसके गले में कहीं हार नहीं था। वह निराशा में चिल्लाई।
मैथिल्ड ने अपने पति को बताया कि उससे वह हीरे का हार खो गया है। उसका पति भयभीत हो गया। उन लोगों ने हार को हर जगह खोजा लेकिन सब बेकार। Mr. Loisel रास्ते में हार खोजने के लिए बाहर निकल पड़े। वह नृत्य की पोशाक पहने प्रतीक्षा करने लगी। वह सोने जाने के लिए भी साहस नहीं जुटा पा रही थी। उसका पति लगभग सात बजे वापिस आया। किन्तु उसे वह हार कहीं भी नहीं मिला।
अपने पति की सलाह पर मैथिल्ड ने अपनी सहेली को एक पत्र लिखा कि हार का हुक टूट गया था, इसलिए उसने हार मरम्मत के लिए भेज दिया था। इस प्रकार उन्हें एक दूसरा हीरे का हार खरीदने का समय मिल गया। एक दुकान से दूसरी दुकान पर ढूँढ़ते हुए अंततः उस खोए हुए हार जैसा एक हार उन्हें मिला। दुकानदार ने उस हार की कीमत 40,000 फ्रैंक माँगी। अन्ततः 36,000 फ्रैंक पर सौदा तय हुआ। मैथिल्ड के पति के पास कुल 18,000 फ्रैंक थे। उसने बाकी बचे 18,000 फ्रैंक ऊँचा ब्याज देकर उसे ले लिया। हीरे का हार उसने मैडम फरिस्टियर को भेज दिया। उसने उसे देखने की भी परवाह नहीं की।
अब मैथिल्ड और उसके पति के लिए जीवन कठिन बन गया। उन्हें 18,000 फ्रैंक का कर्ज चुकाना था। इसके लिए, उन्हें एक सस्ते कमरे में जाना पड़ा। उन्होंने अपना नौकर भी हटा दिया था। अब मैथिल्ड घर के काम-काज स्वयं करने लगी। वह पानी लाना, कमरे का फर्श साफ करना, बर्तन और गंदे कपड़े धोना सभी कार्य स्वयं करने लगी। खरीददारी भी वह स्वयं ही करती थी। उसका पति शाम को तथा देर रात तक उधार लिए हुए 18,000 फ्रैंकों को चुकाने के लिए कठिन परिश्रम करता था। उन्होंने दसवें वर्ष के अन्त तक सारा कर्जा चुका दिया। लेकिन मैथिल्ड को इसके लिए काफ़ी बड़ी कीमत चुकानी पड़ी थी। वह एक सामान्य औरत लगने लगी थी और वस्तुतः बूढ़ी भी दिखने लगी थी। अब वह एक कठोर, कर्कश और हठी औरत बन गई थी।
एक रविवार मैथिल्ड सैर के लिए बाहर निकली। उसने मैडम फॉरिस्टियर को वहाँ देखा और उसके पास गई। मैडम फॉरस्टियर उसमें आए बहुत बड़े बदलाव को देखकर बहुत आश्चर्यचकित हुई। मथिल्ड ने बताया कि वह बहुत कठिन जीवन व्यतीत कर रही थी और यह सब उसके कारण हुआ। मैडम फरिस्टियर यह सुनकर बहुत अचंभित हुई। तब मैथिल्ड ने उसे विस्तारपूर्वक बताया कि किस प्रकार उससे उसका हीरे का हार खो गया था। उसने उसके स्थान पर 36,000 फ्रैंक का एक अन्य हार खरीदा। उस कर्ज को चुकाने में उसे दस वर्ष लग गए। मैडम फॉरस्टियर उसकी दुख भरी कहानी सुनने लगी। उसने मैथिल्ड को बताया कि उसका हार मात्र पाँच सी फ्रैंक का था और उसमें लगे हीरे बनावटी थे न कि असली थे।
The Diamond Necklace Word Meaning
The Diamond Necklace Important Pronunciation
MP Board Class 12th English A Voyage Textbook (Fiction and Drama)
