Voyage in the Dark

Voyage in the Dark (1934), authored by Jean Rhys, narrates the partly tragic tale of Anna Morgan, who relocates from her Caribbean homeland to England following her father's demise. Disinherited by her stepmother Hester, Anna sustains herself as a chorus girl and becomes economically reliant on an older gentleman named Walter. When Walter departs, Anna's circumstances deteriorate sharply. The novel delves into themes of post-colonial identity and Caribbean cultural impact through Anna's viewpoint. Rhys altered the original conclusion, which depicted Anna dying from a failed abortion, to a more open-ended finale where she survives but faces an uncertain future.

Part One

1. Anna perceives England’s dull, chilly climate as starkly inferior to the vibrant atmosphere of her Caribbean upbringing, feeling alienated. Residing in Southsea with Maudie, she encounters difficulty securing accommodation due to their chorus girl status, reflecting societal prejudice.
2. After meeting two men alongside Maudie, Anna consents to meet Walter in London. His affluence is apparent when he escorts her to a private dining room meant for discreet meetings. Despite initial apprehension about her first sexual encounter, Anna ultimately agrees.
3. Financially supported by Walter as his "kept woman," Anna upgrades her living situation and develops emotional attachment. Maudie visits her, and they spend leisure time together in Hyde Park.
4. During another visit to Walter, Anna encounters his cousin Vincent and shares aspects of her Caribbean background. An intimate relationship develops between them.
5. Anna confronts her stepmother Hester, who informs her that financial assistance has ceased and the Caribbean property has been sold. Hester accuses Anna’s uncle Bo of mismanagement; Bo defends Anna’s entitlements and criticizes Hester’s intolerance toward racial integration and mixed black-white relationships.
6. Concerned Walter might abandon her, Anna enjoys a brief countryside getaway with him until conflicts between Vincent and his French lover cause an early return. Walter reveals intentions to take Vincent to America.
7. Vincent tells Anna that Walter no longer loves her but wishes to continue monetary support. Despite this, Anna attempts to reconnect with Walter, hoping he will bring her home; he declines, leading Anna to cut ties and leave without leaving a forwarding address.

Part Two

1. To pay rent, Anna sells some clothes. In her new residence, she meets Ethel, who operates a manicure and massage service and offers both employment and lodging.
2. Anna becomes acquainted with Laurie and Laurie’s two American boyfriends, Carl and Joe. They go out drinking and become intoxicated.
3. During a hotel visit, it is implied Laurie works as a prostitute, which causes Anna to become distressed.
4. Anna visits Ethel again and is hired as a manicurist despite having no prior experience.

Part Three

1. Anna finds her job challenging. Ethel’s business runs a subtle scheme—advertisements are suggestive enough to attract men expecting more than massages but do not explicitly offer sexual services, rendering the clients powerless. When a customer injures himself on a broken massage table, Anna shows little concern. Ethel criticizes Anna’s mood swings and poor performance, implying she had hoped Anna would engage in prostitution while Ethel acted as madam. After ordering Anna to leave, Ethel quickly pleads for her return. Anna steps out briefly but comes back to find Ethel relieved.
2. Ill, Anna encounters Laurie and Carl Redman; Carl asks if she is under ether influence and subsequently sleeps with her. Carl reveals that he and Joe have wives in the United States and plan to depart soon.
3. Maudie borrows money from Anna to purchase clothing intended for a man she hopes will marry her.
4. Almost involved with a man who has a broken hand, Anna experiences tension in Ethel’s apartment when she breaks a picture frame and suffers morning sickness; the man leaves after she resists his advances.
5. Now living with Laurie, Anna receives a letter from Ethel demanding payment for damages and complaining about men visiting Anna’s place. The letter also discloses that Anna is pregnant. Laurie and Anna discuss abortion; however, Anna postpones making arrangements while conflicted.
6. They meet Vincent to secure funds for the abortion; he requires that Anna return letters exchanged between her and Walter, which she does.
7. Finally, Anna goes to Mrs. Robinson's for the abortion procedure.

Part Four

1. The abortion fails, resulting in Anna falling gravely ill. While overhearing a conversation between Laurie and her landlady, Mrs Polo, about her condition, Anna remains weak and disoriented. She experiences vivid hallucinations, merging memories of her Caribbean childhood masquerade, recent romantic encounters, and the dim room where she is confined. A physician visits her, offering reassurance: "She'll recover […] Ready to begin anew before long." The story concludes with Anna’s stream of consciousness contemplating the notion of starting "all over again."

Thematic connections to other works

The novel’s title resonates with modernist literature, particularly Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899). Yet, Rhys subverts Conrad’s narrative: for Anna, England embodies gloom and hopelessness, whereas the West Indies symbolize purity and brightness. London is depicted as dull and estranging compared to Anna’s lively Dominican heritage.

Through Anna’s perspective, Voyage in the Dark delves into the conflict between cultural assimilation within English society and opposition to it—a theme also explored by other Anglophone modernist writers such as Witi Ihimaera. Characters confront colonial histories while striving to maintain unique identities. Anna’s sense of alienation arises from both her background and gender; the abuse she suffers at the hands of men reflects a repudiation of conventional norms.

The novel presents Anna as caught between two worlds—emotionally and socially disconnected from both British and West Indian cultures. Employing modernist narrative techniques, fragments of her past intertwine with current events through a surreal interior monologue that disrupts linear storytelling and emphasizes her estrangement from English society.