The Rainbow is the masterpiece of Lawrence, a contemporary British novelist, essayist and poet. Through the life experience of a family of three generations, the novel describes the process of transformation from a traditional agricultural society to an industrial society in the Britain. The life of the first generation was idyllic, and it also heralded the end of ancient civilization. Tom Brangwen was sent to a grammar school for education. He fell in love with Lydia, the widow of the Polish patriot, and finally married with her. Lydia felt confidence in Tom’s lifestyle; Tom also found mystery in his wife. The second generation was mentally depressed and dull-eyed, which was an explanation of the suffocating industrialized society. Anna Brangwen and Will not only had differences in beliefs, but also in personalities. Physical satisfaction cannot make up for the emptiness of the spirit. Anna sought sustenance from children; Will has turned from an innovative artist to a mediocre carpenter. The third generation wanted to break through the narrow life circle and long for a natural and harmonious life, which is the focus of the work. Ursula Brangwen’s experience in sexual relations represented the characteristics of modern women. She worked as a teacher in an English boarding school to get rid of her family, but only to find that the school life is cold and cruel. She had a homosexual experience with a female teacher, and later fell in love with Anton Skrebenski, a second lieutenant in the engineer. Their love affair began to be as passionate as fire, but soon disagreements occur. Although Ursula was full of desire for the male natural power embodied by Anton, but at the same time she was very disgusted with his life for colonialism; Anton has only sexual desire, no passion, and their relationship broke down. The novel ended with Ursula looking up at a rainbow in the sky, symbolizing her reverie and longing for a bright future. Many critics commented on The Rainbow: “No British novel can combine social and personal themes so perfectly in such a complicated environment.” It is “a family history spanning three generations, but it is actually a creative analysis of the internal life of a society in a stage of change and collapse.” With its rich and profound ideological content, epic pictures, and serious and passionate exploration of the relationship between the sexes, it has become a classic of British modernist novels.
