Brideshead Revisited: Part 2, Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

As a wealthy young woman in this period, Julia is expected to prioritize marriage over other plans. Julia realizes that her beauty gives her an advantage in this sense, and gives her a certain type of power. However, this power is limited because, as woman, Julia has fewer rights than men and will not necessarily be able to protect herself if her husband is unkind. This suggests that Julia is subject to a social authority outside of herself and must conform to this if she wishes to fit in and be socially acceptable.

Young women from wealthy backgrounds were not expected to have careers or go into higher education—it was considered their duty to focus on marriage. Catholics were not popular in Britain, which was a predominantly Protestant country, and were generally looked down upon. An eldest son will inherit his family property and is a sought-after prize among young women Julia’s age, but coming from a Catholic family means that she will not be viewed as a desirable choice by most traditional Protestant families.

Rex is “new money,” and it is therefore assumed he got some of his wealth through devious means. There were deeply-ingrained class divides in Britain during this time, which meant that, although there were more opportunities for people from different classes, the “old money” passed down through aristocratic families was still considered more noble and proper than the wealth produced by businessmen. Julia views Rex as glamorous because she knows her family would disapprove of him, and he is therefore a temptation for her, like the biblical idea of forbidden fruit.

Rex is ambitious and knows that Julia is from an important family with many social connections. He sees that these may be useful to him in his future career. This suggests that Rex is shallow and views everything in terms of personal advancement. Rex is a representation of modern society, which Charles views as corrupt and vulgar.

Rex approaches Julia as though she is a conquest over which he will ultimately triumph, which is a warlike attitude. His association with modernity thus suggests that the modern era is preoccupied with domination and conflict. Rex is clearly looked down upon in upper-class circles because he is not well-bred by traditional standards, and has made his money in business rather than coming from an aristocratic family.

Julia does not realize how she feels about Rex until she thinks that he has lost interest in her. She is very confident, however, and makes him chase her until she is ready to forgive him. Lady Marchmain, unlike Julia, is willing to make herself a victim or martyr. She feels that Julia should see Rex, even if she doesn’t want to, because accepting his mistreatment is what she would do.

Lady Marchmain disapproves of the match between Julia and Rex, so it’s ironic that she ends up pushing them together. This mirrors Sebastian’s rebellion against his mother and the fact that her controlling methods drive him towards the behavior which is forbidden. Julia inverts the idea of the “fallen woman”—a woman who has sex outside of marriage. She suggests that Rex is a “fallen man,” although, of course, men were not held to the same standards as women in this period. This reflects the inconsistent societal standards and expectations placed upon men and women during this period.

Rex emotionally blackmails Julia: he insinuates that it is her fault that he still sees Brenda, because Julia will not have sex with him. He suggests that, as a man, he cannot be expected to wait for sex and will, naturally, go elsewhere. This was a common misogynistic belief (that men could not control their sexual appetites) in this period. Julia is worried she will lose Rex and feels pressure to give in to him. If she has sex before marriage, however, she commits a sin according to Catholicism.

As a man, Lord Marchmain’s permission is more important than Lady Marchmain’s despite the fact that Lady Marchmain is much more involved in Julia’s life on a daily basis. Rex knows that if he invests Julia’s money in business, their wealth will increase. This understanding of business and investment was a large cultural difference between old and new money, and many old families found themselves bankrupt as their wealth ran out, while new money invested in industry. 

Julia and Rex’s marriage will be “mixed” because Rex is Protestant and Julia is Catholic. Rex does not understand Catholicism and thinks that he can sign a contract or pay a fee to be inducted into the church. Rex’s businesslike attitude is not compatible with the Marchmain’s spiritual outlook and represents a clash between modernity and tradition.

Rex does not think it is necessary to be religious to become a Catholic—he is prepared to put on a false persona and do whatever it takes to get ahead and marry into the wealthy Marchmain family. His views on conversion, then, are just another social stepping-stone. 

Catholics are not allowed to get divorced. Although Rex has been instructed in Catholicism, he has clearly not taken it seriously and does not see why he must follow the rules of the religion. Rex is old enough to have fought in World War I, a revelation that further emphasizes the power imbalance between him and Julia, since he is much older and more experienced than her.

An annulment suggests that a marriage was never made official (through sexual intercourse) after the ceremony took place. Since Rex presumably had sex with his wife during their marriage, this makes his suggestion that he can pay for an annulment nonsensical. He clearly thinks that he can buy his way out of any obstacle and is prepared to use money to bend the truth. Rex is a symbol of modernity, and this suggests that the modern world is materialistic and views intangible things, like morality or spirituality, as commodities that can be bought and sold. Rex has no moral scruples and does not think it is important whether he tells the truth or not, so long as no one finds out. He clashes with characters like Cordelia, who is very principled and who takes her religious vows extremely seriously. 

Julia tells her mother that she is a “fallen woman.” In Lady Marchmain’s eyes, the only way for Julia to be redeemed is to marry the man with whom she had sex. This is clearly a painful idea for Lady Marchmain: it suggests that Julia is now completely outside of her authority, as well as outside of God’s because she has sinned.

Julia implies that she had not, really, had sex with Rex, but she felt emotionally that she was his lover (she was innocent and did not know much about sex), and she wanted to get her own way. It's clear that Rex did not really care about Julia—he viewed her as a way for him to improve his social station and is disappointed at their wedding because it was not the public spectacle for which he hoped. 

Cordelia is very loving and does not hold grudges or try to control people—her behavior, as opposed to Lady Marchmain’s, is genuinely Christlike. Lady Marchmain, on the other hand, gains public sympathy by acting like a martyr. Even though she is against the wedding, she goes anyway. People believe she is there for Julia’s sake, but Julia feels that her mother used this to make Julia look bad and to make herself look good, like a saint who accepts her suffering. As an “undeveloped” and “absolutely modern person,” Rex represents the idea that the modern world is materialistic and immoral.

Julia’s marriage with Rex is clearly at an end. She has told Charles the story of her life since the last time he saw her, and the fact that they are together on a ship over a decade later implies that she and Charles have developed a significant connection in the meantime.