The Song of the Lark · Chapter
II explained
Dr.
What happens
Dr. Archie visits Thea during her recovery after childbirth. He brings her grapes and they discuss her reading, her piano practice, and her music teacher Professor Wunsch. Thea shows her protective loyalty toward Wunsch, and Dr. Archie offers to give him an old overcoat. The chapter also reveals Mrs. Kronborg's practical, unruffled character and her management of the household.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Social Mobility
Mrs. Kronborg's practical management and her keeping of her own property contrast with her husband's pretentiousness, highlighting class dynamics within the family.
The Nature of Talent and Genius
Thea's intense dedication to music and her protective loyalty to her flawed teacher Wunsch hint at the sacrifices and complexities of artistic development.
Characters to notice
- Dr. Howard Archie
Visits Thea during her recovery, brings her grapes, and discusses her health, reading, and music teacher.
- Thea Kronborg
Recovering after childbirth, reading Byron, protective of Professor Wunsch, and sensitive about being thought a foreigner.
- Mrs. Kronborg
Sitting up in bed darning stockings, managing household schedules, and defending Professor Wunsch's teaching.
- Herr Wunsch
Thea's music teacher, described as poor and possibly drinking, but a good teacher whom Thea defends.
- Thor
Thea's new baby brother, named Thor, asleep in a rocking-chair.
Key passages
“She was a woman whom Dr. Archie respected; active, practical, unruffled; good-humored, but determined. Exactly the sort of woman to take care of a flighty preacher.”
Dr. Archie admired Mrs. Kronborg for her practicality and steady temperament, seeing her as the perfect match for her impractical husband.
Characterizes Mrs. Kronborg's role in the family.
“He knows a lot. More than anybody. I don't care if he does drink; he's old and poor.”
Thea defends Professor Wunsch, valuing his knowledge and disregarding his drinking problem because of his age and poverty.
Shows Thea's loyalty and early sense of justice.
“She was very sensitive about being thought a foreigner, and was proud of the fact that, in town, her father always preached in English; very bookish English, at that, one might add.”
Thea was self-conscious about her Scandinavian heritage and took pride in her father's use of formal English in his sermons.
Reveals Thea's internal conflict with her cultural identity.