Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Girl on the Train, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Women and Society
Gaslighting, Memory, Repression, and the Self
Addiction, Dependency, and Abuse
Secrets and Lies
Motherhood, Duty, and Care
Summary
Analysis
Saturday, August 10, 2013. After a morning of spin class and shopping, Anna returns to Blenheim road to find photographers swarming the Hipwell house. To her great shock, she watches as Rachel emerges from the house. After returning home, Anna urges Tom to figure out what’s going on with Rachel—whether she’s sleeping with Scott or using him to get closer to Anna, Tom, and Evie. Tom assures Anna that everything is probably fine. Anna, however, feels sick of being told not to worry. She is determined to take matters into her own hands—and call the police so that they can finally deal with Rachel.
Again, Hawkins uses Anna’s instinctive distrust of Rachel to cast Rachel’s actions in a devious light. Through Rachel’s narration, readers see the nuance and confusion behind her actions—but from Anna’s point of view, Rachel is a one-dimensional danger who must be dealt with. The truth, Hawkins seems to suggest, is somewhere in the middle.
Themes
