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
Sunday, August 18, 2013. Rachel arrives at number 23 and rings the doorbell. She feels hysterical and uncertain of what she’s doing. When no one answers the door, Rachel walks around the back of the house and hops over the fence. Anna and Evie are together in the backyard—but Anna hardly even looks surprised to see Rachel standing before her. Anna pulls Evie onto her lap. Rachel asks where Tom is, and Anna replies that he’s out with his army buddies. Rachel says they need to leave the house right away, but Anna simply laughs.
Rachel returns to number 23—but this time, she’s not looking for Tom. She knows that given what she’s realized, it is her duty to share the truth with Anna—it is the only thing that stands to protect Anna and Evie from Tom’s lies and abuse.
Themes
