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Chapter 2
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Life Class, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War
Art
Gender
Love and Relationships
Class
Summary
Analysis
Paul and Teresa leave the café, and he realizes that she is afraid of the looming threat of her husband. He invites her to dinner, and they dine together at a restaurant. Teresa speaks with fond familiarity of Neville and Tonks, assuming “a fragile sort of equality” with them “based on sex.” Paul hears the voice of his grandmother calling Teresa a “whore,” but he pushes past this and gets to know Teresa. She reveals that she left her home up north after years of sexual abuse from her stepfather and married Jack when she was 17.
The sexual abuse Teresa experienced as a child continues to impact her relationships with men. Since she feels in control of her sexuality around Neville and Tonks, she considers herself their equal despite the sexism implicit in the broader culture. Paul harbors his own sexist assumptions about Teresa, but he is aware of them and does his best to ignore them in favor of getting to know Teresa as a person.
Active
Themes
They finish dinner and begin to walk in the direction of both their homes. Teresa reveals how afraid she is that Jack is following her, and Paul wants to protect her, inspired by the thought of having a purpose and endeared by her familiar northern accent. He walks her home and escorts her inside to make sure Jack isn’t there. Teresa makes Paul a cup of coffee, and he thinks about his lack of sexual experience. Teresa asks Paul about himself, and he explains that he is from a working-class northern town and used his grandmother’s money to pursue what he thought was a talent for art, though he now doubts himself. When he leaves, Paul asks Teresa on a date, and she agrees. Paul misses her when he leaves.
Active
Themes
