# II explained — The Well of Loneliness

> Chapter companion for The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_well_of_loneliness_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_well_of_loneliness_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_well_of_loneliness_se/chapters