# Tom Brangwen — The Rainbow character guide > Tom Brangwen in The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Tom, Thomas, the young Tom **First appearance:** 0002-i-how-tom-brangwen-married-a-polish-lady ## Snapshot Tom inherits the Marsh and its rhythms of cattle, corn, and church-tower on the horizon, a Brangwen who works by instinct and feels the land as a pulse in his own blood. ## Who they are Tom inherits the Marsh and its rhythms of cattle, corn, and church-tower on the horizon, a Brangwen who works by instinct and feels the land as a pulse in his own blood. His marriage to Lydia Lensky brings a foreign, grieving woman into his house and a stepdaughter, Anna, whom he raises with a tenderness that is also bewilderment. His steady, wordless love and his occasional helplessness set the emotional weather for the whole family saga. ## Relationships ### [Ursula Brangwen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/characters/ursula_brangwen) _family_ Tom is Ursula's grandfather, a foundational but distant figure in her family history. ### [Ursula Brangwen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/characters/ursula_brangwen) _family_ Tom is Ursula's grandfather, a foundational but distant figure in her family history. ## In the story ### [The Rainbow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/the-rainbow) The central male figure of the early generation; marries Lydia Lensky and navigates the challenges of their cross-cultural union. ### [How Tom Brangwen Married a Polish Lady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/i-how-tom-brangwen-married-a-polish-lady) The young heir of Marsh Farm, restless and dreaming of a life beyond the farm, influenced by encounters with a Polish lady and a foreign gentleman. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as the husband of the Brangwen wife, a man of the land, fresh, slow, and full-built, masterful but lacking outwardness. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/ii) Experiences his first sexual encounter, leading to disillusionment and a deepened sense of his own incompleteness. He becomes fixated on Lydia Lensky and resolves to marry her. ### [III: Childhood of Anna Lensky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/iii-childhood-of-anna-lensky) Tom Brangwen loves his stepchild Anna more than his own son. He struggles with his wife Lydia's lowered vitality and seeks fulfillment through his relationship with Anna and other activities like drinking and socializing with men. ### [IV: Girlhood of Anna Brangwen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/iv-girlhood-of-anna-brangwen) Tom Brangwen is Anna's father, a fairy godfather figure who provides a cottage for the newlyweds. He is uneasy with Anna's verbal criticisms and maintains a deep, wordless bond with his wife, Lydia. ### [Wedding at the Marsh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/v-wedding-at-the-marsh) Father of the bride, reflective and troubled during the wedding, gives a speech on marriage and angels. ### [VII: The Cathedral](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/vii-the-cathedral) Visits the Skrebenskys with Lydia and is immediately charmed by the new Baroness. ### [IX: The Marsh and the Flood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/ix-the-marsh-and-the-flood) The elder son, now a young man studying in London, characterized by his quiet intelligence and ability to enhance others. He maintains a distant but affectionate relationship with his mother and a protective love for his brother Fred. ### [First Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/xi-first-love) Tom Brangwen Jr. accompanies Ursula to see Skrebensky off, acting as a calm, detached observer and later taking her for coffee after the departure. ### [XII: Shame](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/xii-shame) Ursula's uncle, now a colliery manager at Wiggiston; shows a cynical acceptance of the industrial system and the dehumanization of the miners. ### [XIII: The Man’s World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/xiii-the-man-s-world) Ursula's father, a draughtsman who begins to see a loophole of freedom; he reluctantly allows Ursula to seek work after a tense confrontation. ### [XV: The Bitterness of Ecstasy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/xv-the-bitterness-of-ecstasy) Tom Brangwen, Ursula's father, is interested in her activities and works on his own projects, but is unaware of the true nature of her relationship with Skrebensky. ### [XVI: The Rainbow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/chapters/xvi-the-rainbow) Tom is referenced as Ursula's father, part of the 'husk' of her old life that she feels she must cast off. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/characters/tom_brangwen - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rainbow_se/characters