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Intro
In Derbyshire, the Brangwen family has lived on Marsh Farm for a long time. In the year 1840, the surrounding land starts to experience industrialization, as a coal mine is created and the population begins to grow. Tom Brangwen, the son of Alfred Brangwen and Mrs. Brangwen, attends school because his mother wants to prepare him for the modern world. However, Tom discovers that he dislikes school and would rather work on the family farm. Indeed, he returns home and, as a young man, takes over the farm. His father and mother die during this time period, leaving Tom alone with his sister, Effie. Upset by the deaths of his parents and struggling to find a wife, Tom starts drinking heavily, which causes fights between him and Effie. Eventually, Effie gets sick of Tom, finds a husband, and moves away, leaving Tom alone.
One day, while walking through town, Tom meets Lydia Lensky and her daughter, Anna. Lydia is a Polish woman who was widowed after the death of her husband, Paul. Tom and Lydia become romantically involved and eventually marry. Although Tom loves Lydia, her past and national identity sometimes make her seem like a complete stranger. The early part of their marriage is filled with frustration, as the couple tries to make sense of one another. Although Lydia remains a mystery to Tom during this period, he becomes close with Anna and the two of them spend a great deal of time together. Anna comes with Tom during his trips to town and finds his presence to be incredibly comforting. Eventually, Lydia gives birth to another child, Tom Brangwen Jr.
While still a teenager, Anna meets Will Brangwen, the son of Tom’s brother, Alfred Brangwen Jr. Will is better traveled and educated than Anna, who has lived most of her life on Marsh Farm. Anna finds his presence intimidating and fascinating, eventually falling in love with him. After a passionate courting period, Will and Anna decide to marry. Although Tom is unsure of the decision at first because they are so young and Will does not have a steady job, he ultimately lets them do as they wish. In a deeply emotional moment, Tom walks Anna down the aisle during the wedding. Tom also helps Anna and Will set up their new home.
Anna and Will have a glorious honeymoon where they spend every moment together. However, once the honeymoon ends, their marriage starts to have problems. Will does not like the idea of having to share Anna with anyone else, and Anna finds Will too overbearing. Additionally, they often fight over religion. Will is deeply religious and the biblical stories have an immense significance for him. However, Anna finds the Bible and church disappointing and unfulfilling. Eventually, Will and Anna resolve their differences once Anna gives birth to their first child, Ursula. Once Will witnesses Anna being a mother, he feels content and a sense of balance returns to their life.
As time passes, the world around the Brangwens continues to modernize. Some of the Brangwens, such as Tom Brangwen Jr., embrace the modern world. Tom goes to college to study engineering in London, though he also regularly returns home to the farm. Other Brangwens continue to live like the Brangwens of old. Fred, Tom and Lydia’s second son, falls in this latter category. While Tom Brangwen Jr. is away at college, Fred stays home to tend to the farm. One night, while Ursula is still a little girl, an immense storm washes over the land surrounding Marsh Farm. On this night, Tom Sr. is in town drinking at a bar. On his way home, he gets swept up in the storm and drowns. His family finds his body the following morning, floating close to home. His death deeply affects Lydia, who finds solace in telling Ursula stories about her past.
More time passes, as Ursula goes to school and begins to become an independent thinker. As a young woman, Ursula meets Anton Skrebensky, the son of a wealthy and worldly family friend. Ursula falls in love with Anton and the two of them start to spend a great deal of time together. Anton makes Ursula think about the world beyond Marsh Farm, which greatly intrigues her. However, before their relationship can turn more serious, Anton is deployed to South Africa to fight in the Second Boer War. While Anton is away, Ursula finds herself thinking of him less and eventually she falls out of love with him altogether.
At this point, Ursula has almost finished school. As a young adult, she carries out a brief romance with her teacher, Miss Winifred Inger. Winifred, like Anton, teaches Ursula that there are ways to think beyond those that her community has engendered in her. Ursula knows that she can never have a serious relationship with Winifred, but she still wants to keep her in her life. As such, Ursula sets Winifred up with Tom Brangwen Jr., and the two of them eventually get married.
Because of her relationship with Winifred, Ursula is inspired to become a teacher. Although she wants to go away to London to teach, Will refuses to allow her to leave home. Instead, she becomes a teacher at a local school, which is a far more difficult job than she ever realized. The students often misbehave and do not respect her as much as her male counterparts. Although the principal, Mr. Harby, implores her to physically discipline the children, Ursula resists doing so. Eventually, she does resort to physical discipline on occasion, though it makes her deeply uncomfortable. While teaching, Ursula also meets Maggie Schofield, a fellow teacher. Maggie is politically active and encourages Ursula to become involved with the suffragette movement.
After teaching for a number of years, Ursula eventually decides she wants to go to college in London. There, she becomes even more involved in politics and discovers what the modern world looks like in a major city. Additionally, while in London, Ursula reunites with Anton. Once again, they carry out a passionate romance and spend a great deal of time traveling together. However, when Anton asks Ursula to marry him, she rejects his offer. She is not sure exactly what she wants out of life and does not want to have to worry about a man influencing her fate. Ursula’s rejection deeply wounds Anton, who runs off and marries someone else a short time later.
After Anton is gone, Ursula wonders whether she made the right choice. Briefly, she thinks she might be pregnant with his child and, in a moment of weakness, writes to him to say that she will accept his marriage offer after all, not knowing he has already chosen someone else. However, immediately after writing the letter, Ursula realizes that she does not mean what she said and decides she is better off alone, even if she is pregnant. By the time Anton writes back to her to say he is married, Ursula knows she is not pregnant. After receiving Anton’s telegram, Ursula steps outside and sees a rainbow stretching across the sky, which fills her with a renewed sense of purpose.
