Dougal Douglas
is the protagonist of The Ballad of Peckham Rye , although he does not appear until the second chapter. He is a Scottish migrant, yet there is no mention of his background other than that he is an Arts man, and he is often mistaken by the Peckham locals as an Irishman. He causes mayhem in Peckham and manipulates the other characters, as well as exploring the history of the city and its social and archaeological constructs, which all a part of his "human research".
One of his most noticeable character traits is his association with the devil. This is suggested by his ability to shape-shift (for example in Mr Druce's office, where one minute he is described as adopting the form of a monkey-puzzle tree, the next a professor and then a television interviewer). He is also deformed, as one of his shoulders is higher than the other. Throughout the novel he is described as being an "angel-devil" and a "succubus". He asks various people to feel his head where there are two lumps, apparently where his horns have been surgically removed. However, at certain points of the novel he alludes to the idea of not being able to cross water, suggesting that he may be more aligned with witchcraft rather than the devil. Elsewhere he boasts about having powers of exorcism and at one point admits he is not the devil, but "one of the wicked spirits that wanders through the world for the ruin of souls".
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