The Well of Loneliness

Soon after Angela gives the letter to Ralph, Ralph sends the letter to Anna, along with a note forbidding Stephen to come near Angela again. Anna confronts Stephen and asks if she wrote the letter, and Stephen concedes that she did. At this confession, Anna tells Stephen that she has always felt “a kind of physical revulsion” toward Stephen and that now she feels justified in this feeling (182). She says Stephen is “unnatural,” that she is a disgrace to her father, and that what she felt wasn’t “love” but “lust.” Stephen is upset by the jab at her feelings, and she defends her love as genuine. Anna tells her they can’t live together anymore, since she will likely now “hate” Stephen. Devastated to lose her one remaining security, Stephen agrees to move out of Morton. Once she agrees to leave, Anna insists that Puddle move with Stephen and that everything be done so as not to besmirch Sir Philip’s name. She then dismisses Stephen from her presence, saying she is “tired” and “want(s) to be alone” (184).

Stephen enters her father’s study and mourns the loss of Morton. She decides to take some of his books with her to her new home, so she uses the key to open the bookcase. There she finds a stack of books hidden behind the rest. She finds these books are full of notes her father made about her, and she finally realizes he knew about her sexuality and that she is not the only person in the world who feels this way. Stephen then takes down Sir Philip’s Bible and asks for a sign. The book falls open to the phrase “And the Lord set a mark upon Cain” (186). She then becomes hysterical, at which point Puddle enters the study and tells her she will go anywhere with Stephen. She tells Stephen she has suffered similarly, and that many people have suffered similarly. She tells Stephen that because Stephen is so talented, she has a chance to show the world that “we’re all part of nature” (187). 

Two years later, Stephen and Puddle sit around the fire in their new home in London. Stephen is in and out of sleep, while Puddle is working on her embroidery. Stephen has gained a fair amount of notoriety as a writer, having published “a fine first novel” called The Furrow (190). Puddle does all the work outside of caring for Raferty so that Stephen can focus on her writing. Puddle also works as Stephen’s agent, arranging for interviews and sometimes even giving the interview for Stephen. Stephen has cut her hair short and grown rather thin and pale since they left Morton. She makes two annual visits to Morton that are always painful and mostly consist of attending social functions with the vapid and hateful Anna. Angela has moved back to America, and Stephen is often forced to visit the family that now lives in Angela’s house, since her mother is friends with them. These visits suck Stephen’s soul dry and make her miss Morton more than ever. Stephen is able to turn the “pain of Morton” into inspiration for her writing (193).

Stephen is having trouble writing because she feels she hasn’t experienced much of what life has to offer, since she is unable to experience a loving romantic relationship. She tells Puddle how frustrating it is to be surrounded by love but not able to take any part in it. Puddle sees her as a “true genius in chains” (197) and starts crying when she sees how unhappy Stephen is. Stephen sends Puddle away and tries to write again.

Stephen’s second book lacks the vigor of the first, and, though not completely attacked, the book is less than well-received. This upsets Stephen, but she is quickly distracted when Raferty falls ill. She can tell Raftery is suffering, and no matter how many vets she consults they all predict death in the near future. She goes to Raferty and holds him close, talking to him gently, and trying to get him to eat. She then orders a horsebox so they can travel back to Morton.

Stephen drives Raferty back to Morton herself, all the while reflecting on the good times they had together. At Morton, Stephen looks Raferty in the eye and explains what she is doing and why she is doing it. She then uses Sir Philip’s revolver to kill Raferty. Out of nowhere appears a hysterical Williams, who somehow intuited that something was wrong with Raferty. He has had a stroke and is now confined to being pushed around by his niece. Upon seeing him so disconsolate, Stephen tells him he should go back home and warm up. She tried to prevent him from witnessing Raferty’s death since she knew it would upset him. His niece agrees with Stephen and rolls her uncle away. Stephen has Raferty buried at Morton in the spot where he died. She decides to never return to Morton, since Raferty can’t either.

When Stephen starts to leave Morton, Anna appears to ask for further directions about the burial of Raferty. She offers to make a gravestone for him and tries to offer Stephen her condolences, but Stephen is barely paying attention and leaves before Anna finishes her thought. 

Long before Raferty dies, Stephen meets the playwright Jonathan Brockett at a social gathering Anna forces her to attend. They become quick friends, riding their horses together and dining together often. Stephen, however, is unsure about Jonathan, who is sometimes “brilliant” but often lazy and unpredictable. Then, as if out of nowhere, he disappears to Paris without explanation. Stephen finds the move perplexing but has ultimately moved on when she runs into him again at another party about a year later. He acts as if nothing out of the ordinary transpired and asks to come over. Stephen says she is busy writing short stories, but Jonathan is persistent. He asks how Raferty is, and when Stephen explains she had to kill Raferty, Jonathan seems genuinely moved.

Jonathan disappears for another 10 days then calls and announces he is arriving for dinner despite Stephen’s many protestations. He brings an assortment of food, and then he proceeds to make a mess and shout “ridiculous orders” at Stephen and the cook while sitting on the floor.

When dinner is ready, Jonathan eats voraciously while a weary Stephen looks on. When he’s finished, Jonathan gathers his cigarettes and some dessert and makes himself comfortable on Stephen’s couch. He keeps glancing at Stephen, and she asks if something is wrong. He then berates Stephen for writing such a passionless second book. He says she is capable of much more and he wants to help her access her talent, which he feels is burdened by something he can’t see. She asks him what she can do to “save [her] work” (210). He tells her to travel; there is no inspiration in isolation. He especially suggests Paris, which he thinks is fertile with talent and fun. When he leaves, he remarks that Puddle seems “angry,” and her voice when she responds to him reveals that he is correct.

After Jonathan leaves, Puddle reveals she is angry because she feels Jonathan insulted Stephen unnecessarily. Stephen, however, feels there is truth in his complaint. Later, Stephen tries to write and suddenly realizes how drab her office is. She thinks about refurnishing the room to be more conducive to writing. She reflects on Jonathan’s suggestion and feels that it makes perfect sense; she was already thinking about getting away. She thinks about the ways in which Angela and her mother have betrayed her and feels even more determined to exit England. She can’t stand that Anna turned on her in her “hour of great need,” so she decides to write Anna a letter, saying goodbye to her and to Morton forever (215).