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Part One: Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Voyage in the Dark, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Homesickness, Memory, and Belonging
Sexism, Love, and Power
Race and Identity
Money and Happiness
Summary
Analysis
Anna becomes anxious about her relationship with Walter. She feels strongly for him and worries he’ll eventually lose interest in her, which is what everyone says always happens. One summer day, Walter tells her to pack her things, because they’re going to spend the weekend in the countryside with Vincent and his girlfriend. Anna is overjoyed, especially because being in the countryside is a refreshing change from spending all her time in her apartment. On the first night of the trip, she feels truly happy for the first time in a long while, as she and Walter relax and have sex. But then Vincent and his girlfriend, Germaine, arrive the next morning. Germaine is in a foul mood and keeps insulting Vincent, but Anna doesn’t know why—all she knows is that it ruins everyone’s good time.
The time Anna spends with Walter in the countryside makes their relationship seem more emotionally rewarding than it previously has been. Until now, their bond has been primarily transactional, even if Anna’s feelings for Walter have continued to grow stronger and stronger. On this short vacation, though, she and Walter actually have a romantic time together, giving Anna reason to hope that their relationship will become more heartfelt and genuine.
Themes
At dinner, Germaine—who’s French—openly insults Vincent. She turns to Anna and says English men don’t care about women. They don’t know how to make women happy, so they dislike them. She eventually storms off, and Vincent tells Walter that she’s mad because he didn’t tell her earlier, though neither he nor Walter specify to Anna what, exactly, Vincent should have told her. But Anna finds out later that night, when Walter suggests that they cut the vacation short. He explains that Germaine is mad because Vincent is going away for a while, and she thinks he isn’t leaving her enough money. When Anna asks where Vincent is going, Walter says that he and Vincent are actually both leaving for New York next week.
It becomes clear that Germaine and Vincent’s relationship is very similar to Anna’s, at least insofar as it’s transactional—Germaine, after all, is primarily upset because Vincent isn’t leaving her enough money to use in his absence. But her anger in this regard also highlights the difference between her and Anna. Whereas Germaine seems mostly focused on the financial aspect of her relationship with Vincent, Anna cares more about the romantic and emotional elements of her relationship with Walter. For this reason, it’s undoubtedly quite hurtful to discover that Walter is leaving, and that he gave her even less notice than Vincent gave Germaine.
Themes
Anna doesn’t say much when Walter tells her he’ll be leaving soon. They eventually rejoin Vincent and Germaine, who ask Anna about her theater career when Walter steps away for a moment. She tells them she was part of a troupe in Southsea, which makes them both laugh. Vincent previously thought she was a serious actor, but now he seems to reconsider. When Walter returns, Vincent says that Anna has given him away and asks him what on earth he was doing “on the pier at Southsea.” Flustered, Walter tells Anna not to let Vincent interrogate her so freely.
Vincent has previously expressed an interest in Anna’s career in the theater. Now, though, he implies that Walter exaggerated her acting credentials. The fact that Walter made her seem more accomplished than she actually is suggests that he doesn’t like the idea of publicly dating somebody like her—that is, an average working-class person. He doesn’t mind providing for her, but he apparently wants people to think he’s doing so because she shows great promise as an actress. His ego is therefore wrapped up in his relationship with Anna, suggesting that he’s with her for mostly superficial reasons.
Themes
Furious because she doesn’t understand why everyone seems to be laughing at her, Anna tells them all to shut up and then puts her cigarette out on Walter’s hand. Walter yelps and takes his hand away, but Germaine congratulates Anna, saying, “Bravo, kid.” Shortly thereafter, they all pile into a car to back to London, and when they reach Walter’s house, she finds herself saying goodnight to Vincent and thanking him, though she doesn’t know why and wishes she hadn’t.
Anna stands up for herself by putting her cigarette out on Walter’s hand. However, she quickly goes back to behaving passively and politely, especially when she thanks Vincent before leaving the car—an illustration of her tendency to accommodate others and put them at ease before thinking of herself.
Themes
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Anna and Walter talk about Vincent and Germaine once they go inside. Anna thinks Germaine is pretty, but Walter says she’s quite old—of course, she’s only 31, but he says that’s old “for a woman.” He also chastises Anna for being honest about her theater career, though she doesn’t see the problem. They eventually have sex, and after they finish Anna tells him not to forget her. He promises not to and slips some money into her purse, urging her to take a vacation on her own while he’s gone.
Walter reveals his sexist worldview when he says that 31 is old “for a woman,” thus blatantly admitting that he has different standards for men and women. He also tries to make Anna feel better about the fact that he’s leaving her on such short notice, telling her to take a vacation with the money he gives her. In doing so, he acts like she should be glad he’s leaving, as if she’s the one benefitting from this arrangement. In reality, though, she’s obviously disappointed by his insensitive decision to not tell her until the last minute that he’s leaving.
Themes
For an entire week after Walter leaves, Anna doesn’t leave her apartment. Her landlady eventually chastises her for staying in so much, insisting that leading such a sheltered existence is no life for a young person. This comment annoys Anna, who suddenly wishes she were old, so that she at least had an excuse to be sad and tired. Nonetheless, she accepts an offer to visit the coast and stay with her landlady’s cousin for three weeks. When she returns, she finds a letter waiting for her, but she doesn’t recognize the handwriting on the envelope.
Anna does end up taking a vacation with Walter’s money, but it doesn’t seem particularly fun or rewarding. Rather, she leaves town simply to busy herself while he’s gone, as if she needs a distraction from the fact that he’s not there. She has not only developed a financial dependency on Walter, but also an emotional one, as evidenced by the fact that she initially has trouble motivating herself to leave her boardinghouse when he’s gone.
Themes
