PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY - ALAMINOS
EL 115 Survey of English and American Literature SY. 2020-2021
Republic of the Philippines
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERISTY
Alaminos City Campus
Alaminos City, Pangasinan 2404
CHARACTER ANALYSIS SHEET
Working Paper #___
Name of Student Formalejo, Juliana S. Rating
Grade & Section II – A Date January 21, 2022
Character’s Name Mathilde Loisel Title of The Necklace
Author of the Piece Guy de Maupassant Piece
1. Is the character static _____ or dynamic ____ ? What makes you think so?
- In Guy De Maupassant's novel "The Necklace," we can see a definite metamorphosis
of the main character, Mathidle Loisel, as her outlook on life shifts throughout the story.
She goes through a shift when she needs to learn one of life's minor lessons the hard way.
She and her spouse are forced to live a life of toil and sorrow due to her own selfish
aspirations. Mathilde evolves from a woman who fantasizes about all the riches and
glory she doesn't have to a woman who realizes she's been disregarding all the riches she
already has. Mathilde is a dynamic character, but only to a certain extent.
2. a. What type of person is the character?
- Mathilde is an angry, spiteful woman who would stop at nothing to reverse the “accident
of fate” that has led her to a life she deems to be entirely inappropriate and lacking.
Maupassant describes Mathilde Loisel as a woman concerned with her attractiveness.
She is from a poor family and aspires to the prosperity of the wealthy. Mathilde is a
person who appreciates the better things in life. Mathilde refuses to attend a party at one
point in the novel because she fears she would not look nice.
b. What part/s of the story made you feel this way about the character?
- She was already impacted by her drive to become wealthy when she was not satisfied
with what she had with her husband.
3. In what ways has society or the environment created the character?
- Mathilde's genuine situation is that she is neither wealthy nor a part of the social class to
which she aspires, but she does everything she can to make it appear otherwise. She lives
in an illusory world where her real life does not match her ideal life in her mind; she
believes that her beauty and charm qualify her for greater things. The party is a hit since
her appearance matches her reality for the first time in her life. Men lust after her, and
everyone admires and flatters her.
4. How is the character’s society different than yours?
- This story depicts societal perceptions of the impact of poverty, as well as the ladies'
expectations. The ladies believe they belong to a class, a social class. This is primarily
due to their attractiveness. Unfortunately, for some, this is not always the case, and
despite all of the great expectations of a large dowry, celebrity, love, and a beautiful
wedding, it does not always happen. To make up for their expectations, men try their
hardest to please their wives. This rarely works out, as most couples end up in financial
difficulties before accepting their fate. The author clearly establishes a motif of poverty
in his work. While my own isn't perfect, I accept the weaknesses I have, especially given
my current position. Yes, I want to achieve a high level of success in life, but I'm not in a
hurry since I know I'll get there eventually.
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY - ALAMINOS
EL 115 Survey of English and American Literature SY. 2020-2021
5. How does the character appear to other? (Be specific about which characters)
a. Which characters? Their opinions about the chosen character.
- For Monsier Loisel, the fact that they cannot afford beautiful jewelry is simply a fact of
life, not something to be mourned. Monsieur Loisel strives to please Mathilde naively
since he only wants to make her happy. When she claims she won't be able to attend the
party since she doesn't have anything to wear, he gives her money to buy a dress. He
encourages her to borrow some jewelry from Madame Forestier while she laments her
lack of sufficient jewelry. He sleeps in a coat room as she enjoys herself at the party by
dancing all night.
b. Is the character aware of how he/she appears to others? Yes ____ No ____ Explain.
- No, because Mathilde still feels she would be exactly where she was supposed to be if it
hadn't been for fate's miscalculation. She completely forgets about her previous existence
(her husband sleeps in an empty room for the duration of the night) and becomes
completely absorbed in the illusion of a new one.
c. How self-aware is the character? Very little 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Explain your choice.
- For myself, I'll go with 9 because Mathilde is still obsessed with having a prosperous life;
she has lost sight of her husband. To her, the only thing that counted was to be wealthy.
6. a. How does the character view his/her own world?
- She imagines herself as a high-society upper-class woman who should have married a
strong man, but she is actually a common, lower-class woman who was born into a
family of clerks. She marries a low-status individual.
b. Is this view realistic? Yes ____ No ____ Why?
- No, because she believes, or still believes, that she will be wealthy woman someday. She
still thinks that if she wore beautiful jewelries borrowed from a friend, things would be
different but we all know that is not that easy.
7. Would a person behave in real life like the character in the story? Yes ____ No ____ Explain in detail.
- Because we don't have the same perspective, I believe it depends to the mindset of
everyone who like Mathilde. Some people have fantasies about things and events that are
impossible to come true in their current position. Dreaming and wishing are not the same
as expecting things to change on their own, as Mathilde did. It is hard to transform a
lifetime of modest poverty into luxury and wealth overnight or simply by wanting.
EXTRA CREDITS
8. a. What type of person is the author in your opinion, based upon the story or stories written?
- For his readers, he was an eye-opener because he demonstrated the necessity of things
happening for a reason. We simply have to wait because we will all reach a stage where
we will be successful at some point in the future.
b. What do you think led the author to write this way?
- This is obviously a rounded character, not a flat one. The most distinctive feature of a
round character is that he or she evolves as a result of the events depicted in the literary
work. Madame Loisel is charming and pleasant, but she has the arrogance to believe she
is entitled to more than she already has. Indeed, she believes Fate made a mistake and
that she was meant for more because of her attractiveness.
9. Is the character complex/round ____ or simple/flat ____?
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY - ALAMINOS
EL 115 Survey of English and American Literature SY. 2020-2021
(Note: How many things do you know about the character? Remember detail and variety make a
character complex)
- One of the most fascinating characteristics of this character is that we can easily
conceive a "life before" this story for her in our heads, but no dialogue represents that
life. Mathilde's perspective of her past life is the catalyst for everything that happens in
this tale. Mathilde's personality is difficult to analyze because she can be viewed from a
multitude of angles. One could dismiss her as a wandering soul, or, as I put it, more self-
centered and distracted, as I have. In any case, as I have indicated, the key to
comprehending Mathilde is to go into her past. Something that isn't even a part of the
plot looks terrific on paper.
10. In what point of view is the story narrated?
- Third person limited point of view.
