What did Madame Loisel wear to the ball? How did she get her clothes and jewellery ?
Answers
ANSWER :
Mathilde's husband reluctantly gives her four hundred francs to buy a lovely dress. Mathilde Loisel is anxious to hurry away from the minister's ball because of what Maupassant calls her "wraps."
EXPLANATION :
Mathilde Loisel is anxious to hurry away from the minister's ball because of what Maupassant calls her "wraps." She has a nice new gown and a diamond necklace, but she only has cheap, old outer garments to wrap around her shoulders before venturing out into the cold early-morning air. She is afraid of being seen by the other women who are still present. They would all enjoy seeing the tell-tale signs of poverty because they hate her for being the center of all the men's attention.
Mathilde Loisel struggles to accept the reality of her situation and constantly dreams of enjoying a life of luxury instead of living paycheck to paycheck. Mathilde's husband is a clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction and makes enough money to keep food on the table but not enough to please his ungrateful wife. When Mathilde Loisel learns that she and her husband have been invited to a ball at the Ministry, she initially refuses to go because she does not have any fancy, expensive clothing or jewelry. Mathilde's husband reluctantly gives her four hundred francs to buy a lovely dress, but she is still upset at the fact that she does not have any jewelry to wear along with her outfit. He then suggests that Mathilde ask her friend Madame Forestier if she could borrow a piece of expensive jewelry. Madame Forestier allows Mathilde Loisel to borrow a diamond necklace to wear with her dress for the ball. However, Mathilde Loisel is not aware that Madame Forestier's necklace is made with imitation diamonds and so is not the extremely expensive piece of jewelry that it appears to be. Tragically, Mathilde Loisel loses the necklace and works for the next ten years to pay for an authentic replica of the diamond necklace that she borrowed.