logo

65 pages 2 hours read

Radclyffe Hall

The Well of Loneliness

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1928

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Book 1, Chapters 11-14 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 1

Chapter 11 Summary

Stephen and Martin become good friends, and Anna and Philip adore and support him. Since his mother is not alive, Anna often takes on the maternal role and cares for him. Stephen and Martin get along because they both like to ride, fence, and be outdoors, and because they do not judge each other for their supposed shortcomings. While riding one day, Martin starts pointing out the “courage” of trees. This leads to a discussion about God: Martin feels the existence of trees proves God’s existence, while Stephen continues to question the existence of God. They have many deep, unfettered discussions while they are out riding together. Martin wants Stephen to come back to Canada with him but acknowledges she can’t because of “conventions.” She says she wishes she could go with him, since they are like “brothers.” Later, she tells Puddle she will miss Martin when he leaves, causing Puddle to “beam.”

Both those in town and Stephen’s parents believe Stephen and Martin are in love. Anna is full of “joy” at the prospect and goes about planning her daughter and Martin’s future. Sir Philip is skeptical but full of hope (87). Slowly, Martin starts to think of Stephen “as a woman” (88). He realizes he is in love for the first time in his life. One morning, he asks her to leave the stables and follow him into her garden. Once there, he professes his love to her; in response, she looks at him with “terror and repulsion” (88). She runs into the house without replying to him, leaving him to return to London, lonely again.

Chapter 12 Summary

After Martin’s departure, Stephen sulks about Morton Hall, upset to have lost Martin, but positive that she couldn’t have returned his love. She feels he purposely pretended to be her friend, always with this ulterior motive. She can’t understand why she doesn’t return Martin’s feelings, so she sifts through her past trying to find an answer, admitting to herself that she feels a “deep repugnance” towards men. She walks about at night, thinking alternately of Collins and Martin, eventually seeking out the comfort of Raferty. After talking with Williams as he prepares for the day, she runs inside Morton Hall, feeling its safety again.

Stephen finally confides in Sir Philip, revealing all of her feelings about Martin. She then asks her father twice if she is “strange.” Sir Philip does not feel he can admit that this is the case, so he says she is fine and that she should focus on being a writer instead of a lover. He then cuts the conversation short, saying he is “busy.” After Stephen exits his study, her father cries, full of “shame” and “love.” 

Chapter 13 Summary

After Martin’s departure, the people of the town returns to disliking Stephen, and she realized that Martin is the only reason any of them were nice to her. The townspeople also scoff at Sir Philip and Anna, whom they consider at fault, having given Stephen “too much freedom” (96). Sir Philip tries to protect Stephen from the citizens’ sneers, aided once in a while by Colonel Antrim, but it is to no avail.

Anna starts losing her patience once Martin leaves, pushing Philip for answers. He tells her he is sending Stephen to Oxford, saying marriage is not for everyone. Anna argues that marriage is the only thing that will make Stephen “complete.” She accuses Philip of hiding something from her and of replacing her with Stephen. Philip, in turn, accuses Anna of hating Stephen, which he says is equivalent to hating him. They both lie awake all night, angry and crying.

Stephen realizes she is the catalyst for her parents’ unhappiness and wishes she could find the same comfort in Morton Hall that she once did. Puddle sees her sulking and pushes her to pay attention to her studies. She is upset that Anna acts so insolently toward Stephen and that Sir Philip knows Stephen is homosexual but won’t tell Anna. She wants to help Stephen, and Stephen can sense this, so they grow closer. Sir Philip often wants to tell Anna about Stephen’s sexuality but can’t seem to bring himself to make her “more unhappy.” 

Chapter 14 Summary

Winter descends on Morton Hall, covering everything in stillness and snow. Anna notices one of her cedars is crushed under the weight of the snow, so Sir Philip hires some townspeople to help him secure the branches. In the process, one of the branches falls on Sir Philip, crushing his chest. The other men carry him into the house, where he asks for Stephen. Stephen has them bring him to his study. She orders the servants to help her make him as comfortable as possible and to get Anna. Anna arrives and lies right beside him, talking and cooing to him. Stephen sees “a light […] shine” between them and knows they have reconciled their differences (105).

A fair amount of time passes before the doctor arrives. When he does, Sir Philip refuses drugs, wanting to be conscious for his death. Anna and Stephen hold his hands as he tries to turn to Anna and tell her about Stephen’s sexuality, but he dies before he can complete the thought. Anna starts wildly kissing him, so Stephen leaves the room.  

Book 1, Chapters 11-14 Analysis

The social meaning of marriage comes to the forefront in this section. Now that Stephen has attracted the attention of a male, everyone except for Stephen assumes the result will be marriage. The neighbors are more accepting of her once they believe she will follow their ritual, Anna goes so far as to plan the details of their future wedding and homestead, and Martin himself eventually sees Stephen as the woman in white. Only after Stephen rejects Martin’s proposal does she herself understand the meaning of marriage in early 20th-century England. She then equates marriage with social “welcome” and regrets that she can’t marry Martin (97). Only Sir Philip sees marriage with any objectivity. He insists “Marriage isn’t the only career for a woman” (95) despite Anna’s claim that women need marriage to be “complete” (99). Sir Philip’s reference to marriage as a “career” instead of someone’s entire lifestyle shows his willingness to deflate its social importance, as well as to help build a foundation for Stephen to feel comfortable doing the same (95).

Compassion for the lower class is another prominent theme here. Williams and Puddle are drawn with especial empathy, as they are pictured as wise, passionate, hard-working, and ceaselessly loving. Both characters are extremely invested in their employer’s lives, often feeling the same emotions their employers do. For all this, they are also poor, in pain, and suffering from both inflicted isolation from their families and physical health problems caused or exacerbated by their jobs. There appears to be a plea in this section of the novel on behalf of those who are forced into the servile class. 

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text