The Well of Loneliness · Chapter
II explained
Anna Gordon gives birth to a daughter, but grieves because her husband longed for a son.
What happens
Anna Gordon gives birth to a daughter, but grieves because her husband longed for a son. Sir Philip hides his disappointment, insists on naming the child Stephen, and the baby is baptized with multiple female names. Stephen grows strong, with auburn hair and hazel eyes like her father, and the family finds joy in her presence at Morton.
Themes in this chapter
Inversion and Identity
Stephen is given a masculine name and raised with expectations typically reserved for a son, foreshadowing her complex gender identity.
Family and Rejection
Anna's initial grief and Sir Philip's hidden disappointment reflect the family's struggle with Stephen's sex, though they ultimately embrace her.
Characters to notice
- Stephen Gordon
Born a girl but named Stephen by her father; grows into a strong, active child with auburn hair and hazel eyes.
- Lady Anna Gordon
Grieves at first for not giving her husband a son, but later finds joy in her daughter.
- Sir Philip Gordon
Hides his disappointment at not having a son, insists on naming the child Stephen, and dotes on her.
Key passages
“Anna Gordon held her child to her breast, but she grieved while it drank, because of her man who had longed so much for a son.”
Anna nursed her baby but felt sorrow because her husband had desperately wanted a boy.
Establishes the central conflict of the chapter: the disappointment over Stephen's sex.
“He insisted on calling the infant Stephen, nay more, he would have it baptized by that name.”
Sir Philip was determined to name the baby Stephen and even insisted on using that name for the baptism.
Highlights Sir Philip's stubbornness and the unconventional naming that shapes Stephen's identity.