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Part Two: Chapter 1
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
The next day, Anna runs into Laurie on the street. Laurie is with two men from the U.S. named Carl Redman and Joe Adler, and they all convince her to come back to Laurie’s flat. Laurie has been quite busy since the tour ended, having apparently traveled a lot, which is how she met Carl and Joe. She has also changed her hair, and she’s wearing a lot of makeup. After having some whiskey, the two men leave, though not before making plans to meet up with both Laurie and Anna that night for dinner. In their absence, Laurie brags that she never pays for her own meals anymore. She finds it easy to get along with men, who she assumes must think she “really like[s] it” (though she doesn’t clarify what she means by “it”).
Laurie’s comments about never paying for her own meals imply that she has fully embraced the idea of using transactional relationships with men to her benefit. Whereas Anna is still reeling from becoming emotionally entangled in a transactional relationship, Laurie has no problem with spending time with men in exchange for financial stability—in fact, she hints that she does a lot more than simply spend time with men, suggesting that she has sex with men like Carl and Joe, who are convinced that she “really like[s]” having sex with them. The implication, then, is that Laurie is a sex worker.
Themes
Laurie notices that Anna doesn’t look great, and then Anna starts crying. She immediately assumes that Anna is pregnant, but Anna says she’s not. She explains that she fell in love with a man who abandoned her. When Anna says she’s still able to get money from him, Laurie urges her to ask for more as soon as possible. Anna ignores her and explains how the relationship ended, but the story doesn’t have much of an impact on Laurie, who says that such relationships always end up like this. Laurie, for her part, saves half of all the money she receives from men.
Laurie isn’t interested in Anna’s emotional response to what happened with Walter. Instead, she urges Anna to focus on the financial aspects of her former relationship, recognizing—from experience, most likely—that Walter probably still feels bad about what happened and will, as a result, continue to give her money. But his financial assistance won’t last forever, so Laurie tells Anna to take advantage of it while she still can. Her money-minded advice stands in contrast to Anna’s approach: whereas Laurie focuses on the money, Anna focuses on her own heartbreak.
Themes
Trying to cheer Anna up, Laurie encourages her to come to dinner that night, adding that Carl is really quite nice, though he’s obsessed with gambling. She agrees to lend Anna a dress, since the one Anna is wearing has holes underneath the arms. Meanwhile, she has a housekeeper run a bath for Anna, which finally helps Anna relax and feel a bit more at peace, though she knows her heartache will soon return.
Despite Laurie’s somewhat callous advice about Walter, she seems to have a soft spot for Anna. After all, she urges Anna to come out with her, Carl, and Joe, perhaps because she thinks Anna needs something to distract her from her sorrow. It’s also possible, though, that Laurie has an ulterior motive for inviting Anna to dinner—a motive related to the fact that Joe and Carl are really more like clients than friends.
Themes
