Andrew accuses Edward of ‘‘sexual harassment’’ in his treatment of Georgie. What is sexual harassment? Why is it such an important and controversial issue? Research sexual harassment, concentrating on the difficulties of constructing a legal definition and of enforcement.

Why does Georgie decide to be with Edward instead of Andrew? Think about this question in terms of the development of each character: where does each character begin and what does each character learn in the course of the play?

How is social class important in this play? Each character represents a different social class, and to some extent has stereotypical aspects of that class. How does Rebeck use our expectations of how someone of a particular class behaves, and how do the action of the play and the changing relationships between the characters undermine those expectations?

In Spike Heels, Theresa Rebeck alludes a number of times to George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. The Pygmalion story did not originate or end with Shaw, however; it is originally a Greek myth, and Shaw’s story has been reworked a number of times, most famously as the musical play My Fair Lady. Read the Greek myth and Shaw’s play or see the movie of the musical and discuss how Rebeck changes the story. What are the changes she works in the structure of the story, and how does this give her play different meanings than the other stories?