THE IMPACT OF MONEY MATTERS ON THE CHARACTERS IN MURIEL SPARK’S NOVEL THE BALLAD OF PECKHAM RYE

Abstract

Money matters exert a considerable influence on man’s life-style, social rank and his relationship with other people. This paper aims at exploring the impact of money matters on the characters’ inner feelings, social status, and personal relationships in Muriel Spark’s modern novel The Ballad Of Peckham Rye. This paper aspires to show that Spark’s subtle portrayal of characters reveals the dominance of money matters over human and social relationships. Muriel Spark ( 1918-2006) is a modern Scottish novelist whose wit and detached sense of humour has brought her prolific body of both popular and critical acclaim. Spark is interested not in building suspense but in exploring the moral significance of the characters’ actions. In addition, she chooses to depict the characters in her novels as individuals rather than as types; and she believes that it is the artist’s job to reveal the truth about the characters . Thus, Spark exposes the weaknesses and moral corruption of the characters as they confront with the reality of their existence. In an interview broadcasted by the B. B.C, Spark explains that there is a truth or a serious theme behind her fictional works and characters: I don’t claim that my novels are truth . . .I claim that they are fiction, out of which a kind of truth emerges. . . because I am interested in truthabsolute truth. . . there is a metaphorical truth and a moral truth.