Previous
Chapter 2: They Live at the Marsh
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Rainbow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Search for Meaning
Love and Sexuality
Gender Roles
Religion and Spirituality
Industrialization and Modernity
Summary
Analysis
When Tom’s son is born, he feels a thrill at becoming a father and enjoys the sense of pride it gives him, but he does not feel deeply attached to the baby (who goes unnamed for the time being). He is glad that Lydia is the mother of his child, but she has grown distant again, even though she seems more English than ever before. Lydia’s beauty still captivates Tom, and her presence still stirs a deep passion within him, but something has changed. Tom watches Lydia nurse their son, and he feels a pain as he realizes he must hold back his desires for her.
Tom’s detachment from his son at birth reflects a broader emotional disconnect in his life. His sense of pride in fatherhood contrasts with his lack of attachment to the child, signaling his difficulty in forming new emotional bonds. The fact that Lydia still seems distant despite seeming more English than ever before suggests that her foreignness was never the problem; there is some other, deeper gap between them that has yet to be bridged.
Themes
Tom tries to give Lydia all his love and energy, but it is not enough. He realizes he must find other outlets beyond her. He starts to love Anna more, focusing his affection on her, and this helps ease his frustration. He also begins spending more time with men, sometimes drinking heavily. Anna, seeing her mother content with the baby boy, stops being so anxious about her. She grows more childlike, freed from responsibilities she could not understand. Additionally, she starts to love Tom more openly, and they build a bond together.
Tom’s attempts to pour his love into Lydia fail to connect, so he seeks validation and fulfillment through his relationship with Anna. The deepening bond between them provides him with a sense of purpose, even though it stems from his unfulfilled desires. For her part, Anna finally feels like she is free to be a child, something that has been denied to her because of her difficult upbringing.
Themes
Anna and Tom share a kind of reckless energy. Anna doesn’t care much for other children and often treats them as if they are beneath her. She prefers the company of the farmhands, Tilly, and the servant girl, finding her own way to entertain herself. Anna also loves going on drives with Tom in the horse trap. Sitting high up next to him, she feels powerful and important. When they stop at public houses, the landladies make a fuss over Anna, and she answers them with a mix of shyness and haughtiness, clearly uninterested in their attention.
Anna’s preference for the company of adults over other children suggests a desire to assert control in her world. Her connection to Tom makes her feel powerful and significant, as if she shares in Tom’s authority. Lawrence emphasizes the power dynamics within family relationships here, where Anna’s position beside Tom elevates her status in her own eyes. The various interactions described in this section show Anna creating her identity, as she figures out how to navigate various social situations.
Themes
Tom starts taking Anna with him to the cattle market. Anna feels overwhelmed by the noise, the smell, and the sight of so many cows penned in together. Tom leaves her with the barman while he tends to his business. Anna sits quietly, feeling out of place and ignored by the men, who stare at her like she is some oddity. She waits in cold isolation, feeling like Tom will never come back. When he does return, she slips off her seat, relieved, and follows him closely as they move through the market again. Afterwards, Tom shows her around town, which is a far more pleasurable experience. The trip leaves Anna exhausted but full of wonder and wanting more.
Anna’s discomfort at the cattle market shows that she does not know how to navigate social environments filled with adult men. Unlike the fussy landladies, the men at the market intimidate Anna; their world is far more visceral, as the market itself is completely overwhelming. Still, on the whole, she finds the experience exhilarating, as she immediately wants to return. Anna’s excitement at spending time in male spaces suggests that she will grow up to push against the expectations normally placed upon girls and women.
Themes
Get the entire The Rainbow LitChart as a printable PDF.
Anna becomes a familiar sight at the cattle market. The farmers there tease her, but she holds her own. Largely, she enjoys the experience, though she does not like one man, Nut-Nat, who has a deformity and sells nuts in the public houses. She finds him unpleasant and refuses to eat his nuts. Eventually, Nut-Nat stops coming around, and Anna takes a kind of satisfaction in this.
Anna’s growing confidence at the cattle market shows her adaptation to an environment that initially overwhelmed her. Lawrence uses the figure of Nut-Nat, a man with a deformity, to explore Anna’s developing sense of judgment and power. Her refusal to interact with Nut-Nat, based on her own feelings of discomfort, suggests her desire to control her environment and reject what she finds unpleasant.
Themes
Tom starts to dream of making Anna a lady. He thinks about his older brother Alfred Jr., who is having a scandalous affair with a well-educated widow. Tom decides to visit this woman, Mrs. Forbes, and feels drawn to her when he sees her home, which is filled with books and art. Afterward, he feels ashamed of his life and wishes he could live differently. He feels trapped at the Marsh farm, which feels far less exciting than the world Mrs. Forbes and Alfred inhabit. When Tom returns home, Lydia senses something is wrong. She questions him about Mrs. Forbes and quickly realizes that Tom wants a relationship like Alfred’s. Tom and Lydia have an honest conversation about Tom’s desires, which eventually leads Tom to fall back in love with Lydia. From this moment forward, they feel connected in a profound way that eases tensions in the home.
Tom’s dream of making Anna a lady reflects his desire for upward mobility, which contrasts with the life he leads at Marsh Farm. His visit to Mrs. Forbes exposes him to a world of intellectualism and culture that makes him feel ashamed of his more provincial existence. However, the conversation with Lydia provides a moment of emotional clarity and reconnection. The honesty between Tom and Lydia allows them to address their desires and frustrations, and the renewed connection between them offers an opportunity for genuine growth.
Themes
