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Chapter 8: The Child
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
Back at the Marsh farm, Tom and Lydia’s sons, Tom Jr. and Fred, have come of age. Tom Jr., the older brother, is a handsome and enigmatic young man with a refined and sensitive disposition. He attends high school and then studies engineering in London, where he becomes well-connected with prominent scientific figures. Though intelligent, Tom Jr. remains emotionally distant, seeming to live through others without ever fully existing on his own. Fred, the younger brother, is a typical Brangwen: strong, blue-eyed, and straightforward, much like Tom. Fred is poised to inherit the farm and works closely with his father, with whom he shares a strong bond. Despite their differences, Tom Jr. and Fred share a deep, almost passionate affection for each other.
Tom Jr. and Fred represent two contrasting paths in life. Tom Jr.’s intellectual and emotionally distant nature contrasts with Fred’s straightforwardness and strong connection to the land. Tom Jr.’s travels and his inability to settle reflect a deeper existential restlessness, making him similar to many of the female characters in the novel, while Fred is rooted in the Marsh, prepared to inherit the family legacy. The dynamic between the brothers shows that, while the Brangwen family is evolving and adapting to the modern age, there is a part of them that seems indelibly connected to Marsh Farm.
Themes
When Tom Jr. is 23, a conflict with his mentor drives him to leave London. He travels to Italy, America, and Germany, returning occasionally to the Marsh but never fully settling. He becomes a romantic figure to young Ursula, who is fascinated by his grace and the beautiful gifts he brings her. Although Ursula admires Tom Jr. and wants to be like him, she senses something restless within him that worries her.
Tom Jr.'s conflict with his mentor and subsequent travels represent his deep inner unrest. His wandering across different countries suggests a search for identity and purpose, yet he is unable to settle anywhere, suggesting a broader existential struggle. Ursula's admiration for him reveals her own youthful longing for adventure, but her recognition of his restlessness also hints at her early understanding of the limitations of such a lifestyle.
Themes
One spring day, when Ursula is about eight, Tom sets off for the Nottingham market, planning to stay out late for a show and a meeting. The night is dark and rainy, and the weather grows increasingly violent while Tom is away. As the rain pours down, the farm becomes flooded. Tom arrives home late, slightly drunk, and struggles to navigate through the rising waters. He tries to put the horse in the cart shed, but the flood overwhelms him. He falls and the water sweeps him away.
Tom’s death during the flood invokes the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Just as the flood in Genesis represents destruction and renewal, Tom’s death signifies a turning point for the Brangwen family. Tom, like the figures in Genesis, is overwhelmed by nature’s power, and his fate suggests that no human, no matter how strong, can withstand the larger, uncontrollable forces of life.
Themes
The storm awakens Lydia, who grows distressed when she realizes that Tom has yet to come home. She calls for him in the darkness, but there is no answer. Fred searches for his father in the pouring rain while Lydia shouts desperately out into the night sky. Despite their efforts, they find nothing. The water continues to rise, making Lydia think that Tom is almost certainly dead. Indeed, when the sun rises the following morning, Lydia and Fred spot Tom’s body floating near the house. Fred wades into the flood to retrieve his father’s body while sobbing.
The scene captures a sense of futility, as no effort can prevent Tom’s death. Fred wading into the flood to retrieve his father’s body carries a symbolic weight: it represents the son's entry into adulthood, forced by the loss of his father. The imagery of dawn evokes a new day of mourning and the necessity for the family to continue despite the heavy spiritual burden with which Tom’s passing leaves them.
Themes
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Fred takes Tom’s body to Anna, who is shocked when she sees what has become of her father. Anna and Will prepare Tom’s body for his funeral. During the funeral, Ursula sees Tom Jr. alone in the garden, his face contorted in a tormented grimace as he tries to hold himself together. Seeing this side of Tom Jr. frightens her and makes her wonder about the darkness hidden underneath the surface of his calm outward demeanor.
The scene at the funeral, where Ursula witnesses Tom Jr.’s emotional turmoil, introduces her to the idea that people can carry hidden darkness, even those who appear composed. This revelation marks an important moment in Ursula's psychological development, as it forces her to confront the dark side of human emotion, foreshadowing her own future reckonings with identity.
Themes
After the funeral, Will burns with an intense, overwhelming desire for Anna, and she eagerly responds. The shock of death reignites their passion, pulling them closer as they share both grief and a renewed longing for life. Now widowed, Lydia shifts between tranquility and restlessness. She seeks peace in her later years and chooses to distance herself from her sons, whose intense emotions unsettle her. Instead, she forms a deep bond with Ursula, who finds comfort in Lydia’s stories about her past.
Will and Anna’s passionate response to Tom’s death reflects Lawrence’s recurring motif of death and rebirth, where intense emotions revitalize relationships. Their physical intimacy is a way of reaffirming life amidst the sorrow, transforming grief into a renewed sense of vitality. Meanwhile, Lydia’s retreat from her sons into a bond with Ursula signifies her acceptance of death.
Themes
While speaking to Ursula, Lydia contemplates her relationships with Paul and Tom. She admits to loving both of them, though she thinks of the marriages as rather different. She thinks of her marriage with Paul as something that happened when she was merely a girl, while her relationship with Tom is something that happened when she was a woman. After hearing Lydia’s stories, Ursula asks if someone will love her one day. Lydia responds, “Yes, some man will love you child, because it’s your nature. And I hope it will be somebody who will love you for what you are, and not for what he wants of you.”
Lydia's distinction between the two marriages suggests that love, at its core, is shaped by the individual’s personal development. When she tells Ursula that it is in her nature for a man to love her, Lydia taps into the theme of gender roles in society, suggesting that women are inherently lovable but cautioning Ursula to find a lover that values her for who she is, rather than what she can offer. This advice encapsulates the novel’s broader exploration of identity within relationships, where true love must acknowledge the individual rather than impose expectations or roles.
Themes
