Spark's The Ballad of Peckham Rye looks at the problem of class and class-consciousness and its effect on morality and the relations between the sexes.

1. How does the tunnel beneath Peckham Rye, containing the bones of dead nuns, function as a symbol in the novel?

2. Why does Dougal Douglas finally leave Peckham Rye? Why doesn't he stay once he secures his final raises at both firms?

3. Humphrey Place's jilting of Dixie Morse seems a very Dougal-esque thing to do: Humphrey even uses Dougal's own words when he does it. Why does he jilt her? And why does he return?

4. Connect all of the pronouncements that Nelly Mahone makes concerning Dougal Douglas. Are they consistent?

5.How is The Ballad ofPeckham Rye like a standard mystery story? In what respects does it differ?

6. Which of the female characters in The Ballad of Peckham Rye is most likable? Why...