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Part Three: Chapter 4
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
Laurie reads Anna a letter she received from Ethel, who contacted her to complain about Anna. A week ago, Ethel forced Anna to move out because she’s a “very deceiving girl” who’s both mopey and disreputable. The final straw came when Anna told Ethel that she’s three months pregnant. Ethel doesn’t know why Anna didn’t “do something about it” earlier, but she refuses to help her with the situation, especially since—according to Ethel—Anna already owes her money. Anna, for her part, doesn’t know who the father is, so she can’t ask him to give her money for an abortion. Ethel wraps up her letter by telling Laurie that she respects her and hopes she’ll convince Anna to pay back the money she owes.
Ethel encouraged Anna to have sex with as many men as she could, as long as doing so would be profitable. But now that Anna is pregnant because of this arrangement, Ethel no longer wants to stand behind her. To the contrary, Ethel suddenly wants to cut ties with Anna because she fears she’ll bring dishonor and shame to her business. To put it another way, she worries that people will think her business revolves around sex work—which, of course, it does. But she doesn’t want to admit this. Once again, then, Anna finds herself alone and without much emotional support.
Themes
Anna tells Laurie that she doesn’t owe Ethel money. In fact, Ethel owes her money, since she borrowed some and never paid it back. But Anna doesn’t care. She’s too preoccupied by the fact that there’s a baby growing inside of her. Laurie knows somebody who might be able to give her an abortion, but she would only do so for quite a bit of money. Anna sold her nice coat for 10 quid, but Laurie insists that she’ll need 50 to get an abortion, meaning that she’ll have to ask Walter for help.
Anna’s decision to sell her coat is significant, since it’s the only thing she still has from her relationship with Walter. Because their bond was so transactional, the coat is all she has to show for the heartache and sorrow she endured after he abandoned her. Tragically, though, she doesn’t even make much money when she finally sells it, which means she has to go back to him to ask for the only thing he was ever willing to give: money.
Themes
