The Rainbow: Chapter 4: Girlhood of Anna Brangwen Summary & Analysis

When Anna is nine years old, Tom sends her to a dames’ school in Cossethay. She skips and dances her way there, doing as she pleases, much to the dismay of her teacher, Miss Coates. Anna’s carefree behavior and disregard for authority unsettle Miss Coates, who believes in strict discipline and respectability. Anna, however, only laughs at Miss Coates’s attempts to impose order and even condescends to her teacher. Anna has a strong sense of her own worth and does not need an adult to tell her what is right and wrong.

Anna’s shyness is combined with wildness. She rarely talks to others and, when she acts out, she is doing it by herself and of her own accord. Anna stays away from the other students because she feels a sense of superiority over them, just as she does her teacher. Despite this, Anna suffers deeply when she feels that others dislike her. She reserves most of her love for Tom and Lydia, who she loves unconditionally, even if her relationship to them becomes more complex as she grows older. Ultimately, as long as Anna has their love and support, she can withstand however others feel about her.

In both Cossethay and Ilkeston, Anna never feels like she belongs. She has many acquaintances but never forms deep friendships, viewing the people around her as unremarkable and unworthy of her time. She sees them as part of a faceless crowd that lacks individuality and substance. At this point, she has two younger brothers, Tom Jr. and Fred. Though Anna feels affection for them, she never truly lets them into her world. Her brothers remain orbiting figures, unable to break into her universe, where she sees herself as the central figure.

Anna’s world changes when she meets Baron Skrebensky, a friend of Lydia’s and a fellow Polish exile. When Anna turns 10, she visits him with Lydia and finds him captivating. She feels a strange sense of freedom in his company. The Baron becomes a symbol of a wider, more significant world where kings, lords, and ladies move through life with a noble purpose. Anna longs for such a world and purpose, which seems so far away from her home at Marsh Farm.

As Anna grows into adolescence, she becomes a tall, awkward girl. Tom and Lydia send her to a young ladies’ school in Nottingham, where Anna initially admires the other girls, thinking them ladylike and wonderful, and longs to be like them. However, this admiration quickly turns to disillusionment as she realizes how petty and mean they can be. Coming from the laidback atmosphere of Marsh Farm, where small things never mattered, Anna feels constantly uneasy in the outside world, where every minor transgression is noted and criticized. The other girls refuse to accept her on her own terms and try to mold her to their own standards. Confused, she tries to conform for a time but eventually recoils in disgust, furiously despising them and, eventually, swearing them off altogether.

Anna retreats further into herself, finding comfort only at home, where she does not face the same rules and judgments. Tom and Lydia provide her with a sense of freedom and dignity that she cannot find anywhere else. She develops a strong aversion to the superficial young ladies of her time, choosing to avoid social situations where she feels judged or confined by shallow expectations. She clings to her parents, feeling both drawn to the world outside the Marsh and repelled by it.

Anna’s relationship with Tom grows increasingly strained as she becomes more sensitive to his behavior, especially when he drinks. She notices every change in his demeanor—his flushed face, his overbearing and mocking tone—and it irritates her deeply. Their interactions often turn into clashes, creating tension throughout the entire household. She also grows frustrated with Lydia’s quiet authority and self-assuredness. Anna feels frustrated that her mother has found a way to confidently live on the farm without fretting about the outside world, while Anna herself cannot. Anna often feels compelled to escape, but she does not know where she would go; no matter where she looks, nothing seems preferable to Marsh Farm.

When Anna turns 18, she meets her cousin, Will Brangwen, who moves to Ilkeston to work as a junior draughtsman in a lace factory. Will is the son of Alfred Jr., Tom’s older brother. Will feels different from the other men Anna knows—more vivid, more real. His presence lingers in her mind, stirring emotions she doesn’t fully understand. Will becomes a frequent visitor to the Marsh, and Tom treats him with a surprising gentleness, which irritates Anna. During these visits, Will speaks about his passions—especially churches and architecture—with a fervor that captivates her. She feels herself being drawn into his world, seeing these places through his eyes.

As Will and Anna spend more time together, their relationship begins to change. They start seeking moments alone, away from Anna’s parents. They rarely touch, but when they are close, Anna feels an electric pull that she both fears and desires. During a quiet evening working together in the fields, their rhythm falls into sync and an invisible force seems to push them together. Suddenly, Will moves toward Anna, takes her in his arms, and kisses her. She is startled but doesn’t pull away, feeling a rush of emotions she has never felt before.

Will becomes determined to marry Anna, and despite their families’ concerns about their youth and lack of money, they decide to move forward. Tom supports them by securing a cottage in Cossethay, offering them a place to begin their life together. Over the next few weeks, the preparations for the wedding consume their days, and Will throws himself into getting their new home ready. Anna feels a mix of excitement and anxiety about the upcoming marriage. She sees in Will a chance to escape the confines of her life at the Marsh and create a new world of her own.