[transcribed 2021-06-02]

**In the story, “The Necklace”, you met the character Monsieur Loisel. Do you
think Monsieur Loisel was content with his life before the ball took place?
Explain why you think he was or wasn’t content. Provide evidence from the text
that supports your thoughts.**

Monsieur Loisel does appear to be *mostly* content with his life:

    She sat down to dinner at a round table covered with a three-day-old cloth
    opposite her husband who, lifting the lid off the soup, shouted excitedly,
    “Ah! Beef stew! What could be better?”

However, when Madame Loisel is disappointed with something he gives her, he
does feel “distressed”:

    She stared at him angrily, and said, impatiently:

    "And what do you expect me to wear if I go?"

    He hadn't thought of that. He stammered:

    "Why, the dress you go to the theatre in. It seems very nice to me ..."

    He stopped, stunned, distressed to see his wife crying.

So it seems to be that Monsieur Loisel is satisfied with his own life, though
he might sometimes find it difficult to please his wife.