The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence [PDF]

Information: The Rainbow

• Author: D.H. Lawrence
• Publication Date: 1915
• Main Characters:
  • Ursula Brangwen: The protagonist of the novel's final section. An independent, passionate young woman who pursues education and personal freedom, rejecting the conventional life expected of her.
  • Tom Brangwen: The patriarch of the first generation. A farmer who marries Lydia Lensky and struggles to bridge the emotional distance between them.
  • Lydia Lensky: A Polish widow who becomes Tom's wife. Her foreignness and reserve create both mystery and tension in the marriage.
  • Anna Brangwen: Lydia's daughter from her first marriage, raised by Tom. She marries Will Brangwen and becomes consumed by domesticity, though she never fully surrenders her fierce independence.
  • Will Brangwen: Anna's husband, a craftsman drawn to church architecture and religious art. His spiritual yearnings clash with Anna's practical nature.
• Brief Summary: The Rainbow spans roughly sixty years in the lives of the Brangwen family, beginning with Tom Brangwen's courtship of Lydia Lensky, a Polish widow, in rural Nottinghamshire. Their marriage sets the pattern for the novel's central question: how do men and women truly connect? The second generation, Anna and Will, struggle between domestic life and spiritual yearning. The final third follows their daughter Ursula as she pursues education, a teaching career, and a transformative love affair. The novel ends with Ursula's vision of a rainbow arching over the industrial landscape, symbolizing hope for renewal.
• Thematic Analysis: The central themes of The Rainbow include the conflict between individual desire and social expectation, the evolution of gender roles across generations, and the search for spiritual fulfillment beyond organized religion. Lawrence also examines the tension between the natural world and industrialization, using the English countryside as both setting and symbol. Sexuality serves not as scandal but as a lens for understanding how people seek wholeness.
• Historical Context: Published in 1915, The Rainbow arrived during World War I, a period of enormous social upheaval in Britain. The novel was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act and all copies were ordered destroyed, largely because of its candid treatment of sexuality and a same-sex relationship. Lawrence would not see the ban lifted in his lifetime; the unexpurgated edition was not freely available in Britain until 1971.