Do you think that Julie made the right choice to abandon her infant daughter? Why or why not?

Julie sees Debbie as a positive force in her life and compares her favorably to her own parents. Do you think that Debbie is a positive model for Julie? Explain why. If you do not think Debbie is a positive role model for Julie, explain why you think this.

Compare the characters of Julie, Debbie, Anne, and Jessie to female characters in other stories in The Real Thing. What are some of Lessing's most important points about women's place in society and their relationships to one another?

Do some research about the most prevalent social perceptions of teen mothers in the 1980s, when the story takes place, and compare them to those a generation earlier, when Julie's Auntie Jessie gave birth.

Find some American...