Understanding the story

1. What is Lorna's social and family background?

2. Why is she glad that she did not go to grammar school? Do you think the reasons she gives are justifiable?

3. What were her reasons for leaving her first job? Would you have left for the same reasons?

4. Why is she happy in her present job?

5. What are the standards by which Lorna judges people and places? Are these standards justified?

6. Why does Lorna visit the Darbys so often if she disapproves of their life-style?

7. What sort of people do you think the Learys may have been? What is the difference between the Darbys and the Learys?

8. What misunderstandings arise during Lorna's visit to old Mrs Darby, and to what extent are these the result of Lorna's own way of seeing things?

9. Which comment in the episode at old Mrs Darby's shows you that Lorna has no sense of humour? Why might this play an important role in the shaping of her character (she is, after all, still very young)?

10. Why does Lorna think that a luxury block of flats in Curzon Street, in London's West End, should have a Welfare Centre? What does this tell you about her attitude to British class distinction?

11. Describe in brief the relationship between Lorna and Willy, the artist, as Lorna describes it and as you see it? Are there any differences? Do they tell us anything new about her character?

12. What conclusion does Lorna reach about her own future when she looks around her flat in the last paragraph?

13. Lorna's final comment: "I think it would break my heart to sink so low" is true to her character. But in what way could they be considered ironical?

Style and language

This story is written as a first-person narrative, but the "narrator" is the main character, not the author herself. What is the purpose of this type of narrative, and what effect does it have on the reader's reactions to what he reads?

Lorna is very proud of her good English, but she constantly makes three types of mistake:

a) use of "over-complicated" words where simple ones would do: concern" instead of "firm"";

b) repetition of cliches, sometimes meaningless in themselves: "those little extras", "that surprised me";

c) actual grammatical mistakes: "Dad would not dream of saying such a thing to Trevor or I" instead of "Trevor or me".

Pick out as many examples of each category as you can find, and discuss the way Lorna’s style of writing reflects her character.

Further discussion

1. What do you think was the author's intention in writing this story?

2. Is Lorna's own background ever criticized in the story? Give examples and comment on them.

3. Would you describe Lorna as a "social climber"? If so, why is she so unsuccessful? If not, why does she bother to mix with "educated people" at all?

4. Discuss Lorna and her family as representatives of "working-class snobbery". What are the social implications of this, particularly in view of her final comment?

5. Do you sympathize with Lorna or do you feel sorry for her? Give your reasons.

6. Do you consider the story to be a criticism of class barriers in 20th Century British society? Is Lorna really "superior" to the "educated people" with whom she mixes? Does she really try to understand them?

7. To what extent does prejudice play a role in this story?

8. Give a full stylistic analysis of the text.