The Duchess and the Jeweller

What benefit, or what compulsion, leads Oliver to repeatedly “dismantle himself” and go back in his mind to “being a little boy in a dark alley” (248)?

What is the promise Oliver makes to his mother? What is the “bet” that he has made and claims to have won? What evidence is there in the text to support your claim?

Analyze the narrative’s attitude toward the nobility of England in this story.

Are you able to detect criticism toward any other aspect of society in this story? If so, who or what?

How does the past influence Oliver’s behavior in the story?

Oliver Bacon is repeatedly associated with or compared to animals in the story. What does that animal imagery tell us about Oliver? What does the use of animal imagery tell us about the author’s attitude toward her character?

How does Woolf’s use of interior monologue impact the reader’s sense of the characters?

If the Duchess has cheated Oliver before and he suspects the pearls might be false, why does he decide not to test their authenticity? How does this connect to his characterization and the story’s key themes?