The Rainbow

by

D. H. Lawrence

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

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 carefree defiance toward Miss Coates demonstrates her independence and strong sense of self-worth. Her behavior stands in stark contrast to the rigid discipline that Miss Coates represents, showing Anna’s natural inclination toward defying traditional authority. Her feelings toward Miss Coates mirror those that she will later have about religion.
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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.
Anna’s unconditional love for Tom and Lydia forms the emotional foundation that sustains her, suggesting that familial love provides the security she needs to maintain her sense of self. Although Anna wants to be liked, she can make it through anything as long as she feels her family bonds remain strong. This strong sense of self-worth Anna gets from her family shows how important one’s home life is to developing one’s sense of oneself.
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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 view of the people around her as faceless and unworthy indicates her detachment from the world beyond her immediate family. This detachment reinforces her self-perception as the central figure in her own universe, where others, including her brothers, remain on the periphery. While Anna feels affection for her brothers, her inability to fully engage with them suggests her reluctance to let anyone challenge her sense of self-importance. Her isolation becomes a protective mechanism, allowing her to maintain her sense of superiority while avoiding deeper emotional vulnerability.
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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.
The introduction of Baron Skrebensky into Anna’s life represents a turning point, as he embodies the wider world of aristocracy and noble purpose that Anna yearns for. His presence awakens in Anna a desire for something beyond the confines of Marsh Farm, introducing her to the idea that life holds grander possibilities than she has ever considered before.
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Quotes
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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’s experience at the young ladies’ school parallels her earlier feelings of superiority over her peers in Cossethay, except this time Anna is the one who is being talked down to. Lawrence portrays the school environment as one where individuality is stifled in favor of conformity, which clashes with Anna’s deep-rooted sense of independence. Her initial attempts to conform show her desire for acceptance, but her eventual rejection of the girls and their values reflects her return to self-assurance, even at the cost of further isolation.
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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 retreat into the safety of her home illustrates her increasing discomfort with the outside world, where societal expectations clash with her desire for authenticity. Lawrence often portrays the home as a sanctuary from the pressures of external judgment, and for Anna, it becomes a space where she can be herself, free from the superficiality she detests.
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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.
Anna's heightened sensitivity to Tom's drinking and mood changes mirrors her own emotional turmoil and search for stability. Meanwhile, Anna's frustration with Lydia’s self-assuredness adds another layer to her sense of inadequacy, as she struggles to reconcile her desire for freedom with her inability to fully embrace it. The farm, once a sanctuary, now feels like a trap, yet Anna cannot imagine a life elsewhere. Neither that which is familiar nor that which is unfamiliar feels compelling to Anna, making her seem more isolated than she has been in a long time.
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Quotes
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.
Will's arrival in Anna's life offers her a glimpse into a different kind of relationship, one marked by intellectual passion and emotional intensity. His vividness contrasts sharply with the staleness Anna feels in her current life, making him a source of excitement. Her growing fascination with his ideas and passions reflects her own longing for a sense of purpose and belonging beyond the confines of the farm. However, she seems as though she is in danger of making the same mistake Tom did at the end of Chapter 3 with Mrs. Forbes; that is, her infatuation is less with Will himself and more with what he represents compared to her current life.
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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.
Lawrence describes the development of Will and Anna’s relationship as though it is fated to occur. Unseen forces move them together, which they cannot understand or predict. When they finally kiss, it is an intensely passionate moment, which is pivotal in Anna’s development as a young woman. However, given that characters in this novel have a hard time differentiating between love and lust, it remains unclear how this newfound relationship will progress.
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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.
For Anna, the impending marriage represents more than just love, as it is an opportunity to break free from the constraints of Marsh Farm and to shape her own future. Still, there is a tension between Anna’s romantic idealism and the realities of life, as she grapples with both the possibilities and limitations of her new life with Will. She wants to create a world of her own, seemingly from scratch, not realizing that she has already formed much of her identity.
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