Rainbow by DH Lawrence Versus

¶ … Rainbow by DH Lawrence

Versus Tradition

One of the central themes found in DH Lawrence's novel The Rainbow is the focus upon agricultural life and its varying relationship with the many characters of the three generations of the Brangwen family which this book depicts. This theme is represented most frequently by the numerous references to the farm which this clan has existed upon for quite some time, and the inherent values which such agricultural life (farming and gardening) issues. Furthermore, the author frequently contrasts these values, which symbolize an old world tradition, with those of the emerging modern world which may be found in ideas and conceptions of city life or in religious freedom. The conflict between these two ways of existence is essential to the plot of The Rainbow, which in many ways is a tale that represents the evolution from older, agricultural life and all of its values, to a modern way of life which is directly opposed to the former in several ways including in its setting (which is urban) and its nontraditional roles and values.

In several ways, the primary conflict that is symbolized by this thesis can be demonstrated in respects to the male and female characters which Lawrence chooses to depict within this work. The author makes this point quite clear fairly early on, when he gives an initial description of the way of life of gardening and farming in which the Brangwen's have lived, which is seen in the following quotation in the first chapter.

…the limbs and the body of the men were impregnated with the day, cattle and earth and vegetation and the sky, the men sat by the fire and their brains were inert, as their blood flowed heavy with the accumulation from the living day… But the women looked out from the heated, blind intercourse of farm-life, to the spoken world beyond. They were aware of the lips and the mind of the world speaking and giving utterance, they heard the sound in the distance, and they strained to listen (Lawrence).

This quotation shows that the men in the Brangwen family are content with their rural existence on the farm, with a traditional life of "vegetation" and "earth" that largely influences their daily actions. However, this quotation also illustrates the growing sense of listlessness and disillusionment which accompanies the impressions of the women of this clan. The fact that they are described as anticipating the "world beyond" the Marsh Farm, and attempting to hear the "lips" of that outside world, implies the central conflict that they prefer a modern, urban life, while their male counterparts are content with their agricultural existence.

The effect of the Marsh Farm and its gardens on the male family members of the Brangwen's may be demonstrated most dramatically in the case of Tom, who is a country farmer at heart. However, he is eventually sent to pursue an education so that he will become a gentleman, which would please his mother. Still, Tom's natural inclinations are more suited for farming and rural life than those of academics, which is demonstrated by his decidedly poor grades. It is only once Tom's father dies and Tom is allowed to return to Marsh Farm to run it in place of him that Tom begins to enjoy his life again, which the following quotation largely suggests.

Tom Brangwen was glad to get back to the farm, where he was in his own again. "I have got a turnip on my shoulders, let me stick to th' fallow," he said to his exasperated mother. He had too low an opinion of himself. But he went about at his work on the farm gladly enough, glad of the active labour and the smell of the land again, having youth and vigour and humour, and a comic wit, having the will and the power to forget his own shortcomings…(Lawrence).

This quotation reinforces the notion that Tom's true place -- as a Brangwen male -- is on Marsh Farm. He works on the farm "gladly," and only had a "low opinion" of his grades and his "shortcomings" at school. Back on the farm he becomes "his own" again, symbolizing that the effect of the agricultural, traditional lifestyle gladly suits him and most of the males of his clan.

Despite his return to farming, gardening, and the agricultural life it produces, Tom's troubles were not yet ended due to the fact that he had an ambiguous relationship with the female sex. In many ways, his confusion and passion for women mirrored the state of confusion and bewilderment in which he felt while attempting to pursue a life of scholasticism. Consequently, his marriage to Lydia Lensky is largely tumultuous, with the two of them alternately spurning and desiring one another's affection. Yet even this relationship is solidified eventually, and symbolized as being so by references to the familiar, traditional life of a farmer, which the following quotation implies.

Tom Brangwen, the father, as he grew older seemed to mature into a gentleman-farmer. His figure lent itself: burly and handsome. His face remained fresh and his blue eyes as full of light, his thick hair and beard had turned gradually to a silky whiteness. It was his custom to laugh a great deal in his acquiescent, willful manner. Things had puzzled him very much, so he had taken the line of easy, good humoured acceptance (Lawrence).

This quotation reinforces the notion that Tom had embraced the familiarity and traditions of the farmer lifestyle more and more with time, and which even influenced his physical appearance which is described as that of a "gentleman-farmer." Lawrence writes that he had been "puzzled" by "things" to refer to his complex relationship with Lydia and her daughter Anna. However, the fact that Tom has largely overcome such struggles is depicted by his representation as a jolly farmer, which reinforces the notion that the men in this novel largely hold steadfast to an agrarian form of life and farming.

Therefore, it is highly important to view the role of Anna within this conflict between tradition and modernity. As a female character, she represents a tendency to gravitate towards the latter, yet she was largely raised by Tom who spent a significant amount of time with her alone and had a fairly close relationship with her. Although Anna will grow up to eventually embody a break a from the traditional values of farming and gardening (which largely encompass religion and Christianity, in particular), it is interesting to note that early on in her life, when she first attends school, Tom's influence in regards to the values of the farming way of life seem to have taken hold of her as well, as the following quotation evinces.

"For at the Marsh life had indeed a certain freedom and largeness. There was no fret about money, no mean little precedence, nor care for what other people thought, because neither Mrs. Brangwen nor Brangwen could be sensible of any judgment passed on them from outside. Their lives were too separate. So Anna was only easy at home, where the common sense and the supreme relation between her parents produced a freer standard of being than she could find outside. Where, outside the Marsh, could she find the tolerant dignity she had been brought up in?" (Lawrence).

This quotation explains that even Anna prefers the life of the farm, which is referred to in the preceding passage as "the Marsh." It should be noted that she is still relatively young in this passage, and that her views will eventually change about the agricultural life and its values. Anna likes the farm life because of its independence there; later on she will find that same independence in modern conceptions of religion and in urban surroundings. But this quotation shows how efficacious Tom and the influence of the life of farming are to even a female raised on it.