Voyage In The Dark

Anna’s relationships with men are often transactional. Throughout the novel, what are Anna’s other relationships that are similarly transactional in nature? How do these relationships differ when the other party is female?

In the novel, what are the ways that women are forced to navigate the patriarchal system of the era? How do these mechanisms influence the bonds among women?

Racial identity figures greatly for Anna in Voyage in the Dark. What does being black represent for Anna, and how does it reinforce the central themes of the novel?

Voyage in the Dark is written in four parts; as each section progresses, the parts consist of shorter chapters, and, at times, fewer chapters. Why would Rhys choose to structure the story in this manner? How does it affect the reader’s understanding of the protagonist and the events that ensue?

In the novel, how important are Vincent and Walter, in terms of the influence they exert over the plot of the story?

Throughout the novel, Anna refers to walls. What do walls symbolize and how do they serve in establishing Anna’s identity and setting boundaries within her life?

In depicting the final scene in which Anna suffers from an abortion gone wrong, what literary devices and narrative elements does Rhys use to describe and explore this taboo topic of her time?

How does Voyage in the Dark function as an extended metaphor for colonialism? What are the implications of British imperialism and colonialism? How does it affect identity especially for characters such as Anna who grew up in the Caribbean as the child of a Welsh father and a white Creole mother and returns to live in England?