Question

Describe the life of Matilda Loisel before and after she lost the necklace.

Hint:

Use strong contrasting words (e.g., 'comfortable' vs. 'poverty', 'unhappy' vs. 'hardship', 'charming' vs. 'coarse') to effectively highlight the dramatic change in Matilda's life and character. Structuring the answer into a clear 'before' and 'after' comparison is key.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question requires a comparative description of Matilda Loisel's life, contrasting her situation and character before the necklace incident with her life afterwards.
Step 2: Contrasting the Two Phases of Life:

Life Before Losing the Necklace: Matilda lived a comfortable, though simple, middle-class life. She had a home and a servant. However, she was perpetually unhappy, dissatisfied, and resentful of her modest status. She constantly daydreamed of a life filled with luxury, riches, and social admiration.

Life After Losing the Necklace: Her life descended into grim poverty. To repay the massive debt incurred to replace the necklace, she and her husband dismissed their servant, moved to a cheap attic room, and she had to perform all the heavy household chores herself. She became a hard, crude, and aged woman, losing her beauty and charm completely.


Step 3: Composing the Answer (Model Response):
Before losing the necklace, Matilda Loisel lived a reasonably comfortable middle-class life but was filled with discontent, always dreaming of wealth and glamour. After losing the necklace, her life changed drastically into one of extreme poverty and hardship. For ten years, she had to endure back-breaking work, dismiss her maid, live in a garret, and haggle for every penny. This ordeal erased her youth and beauty, turning her into a hard, coarse woman.