Marian Graves is the dominant figure in the novel. How does the novel establish a difference between the authentic Marian and the persona of Marian that she presents to the world?

Jamie’s art is an attempt to paint the unpaintable. How does he use his art to express his inner contradictions?

Barclay Macqueen gives Marian everything she wants but takes whatever he pleases. To what extent is Macqueen the novel’s antagonist?