Debate the question of whether O's experience is soul-destroying or soul-fulfilling. Is she living out her destiny, or is she being ruined? At the novel's conclusion, is she free or is she experiencing the ultimate imprisonment?

Consider the role played by love in the actions of O, Rene, and Sir Stephen. Do O and Rene, and eventually Sir Stephen, truly love each other and do what they do as the result of that love? Are they using professions of love as either manipulation, in the case of Rene and Sir Stephen, or as rationalization, in the case of O? How does the fact that love is expressed through sexual violence, manipulation and domination affect the reader's perspective on their actions; in other words, because the characters express love in the way they do, do we as readers see that love as less likely to...