The Rainbow (1989) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ursula becomes obsessed with rainbows from the age of three after a rainstorm, representing her lifelong search for meaning, color, and something beyond her restrictive rural world. Her father tries to ground this imagination with a jam sandwich that resembles a rainbow, but the pursuit becomes a symbol of her yearning for freedom and possibility. The final rainbow at the end of the film completes this symbolic journey, showing she has finally found a path she chooses rather than simply chasing an impossible dream.

Foreshadowing: The childhood scene with the jam sandwich establishes the rainbow as a symbol of bridging fantasy with reality.

• ursula brangwen
• rainbow symbolism
• childhood dream
• freedom
• search for meaning

Winifred accepts Uncle Henry's marriage proposal despite her relationship with Ursula, driven by practical considerations and social security in Victorian society. As an older woman in a time when women had limited independence, marrying a wealthy man like Uncle Henry offered stability and protection that an illicit same-sex relationship could never provide. This choice deeply hurts Ursula, who feels abandoned, and marks the end of her romantic connection with Winifred.

Foreshadowing: Winifred's introduction of Ursula to an artist who propositions her nude hints at Winifred's willingness to navigate dangerous social waters for her own benefit.

• winifred inger
• uncle henry
• marriage
• victorian society
• practicality

Ursula loses control after a belligerent boy continuously harasses her, pelting her with stones despite her patient approach to teaching. The headmaster pressures her to use physical discipline, and in a moment of frustration and loss of control, she strikes the boy with a cane in front of the entire class. While this restores order and stops the harassment, it leaves her guilt-ridden and ultimately leads to her resignation, as she cannot tolerate becoming the kind of cruel authority figure she despised.

Foreshadowing: Ursula's earlier resistance to the headmaster's sexual advances establishes her struggle against the school's toxic environment.

• london school
• cane
• discipline
• guilt
• resignation

When Ursula suspects she might be pregnant, Anton offers marriage as a solution, but she refuses because she wants to define her own path rather than be tied to someone through obligation or circumstance. She chooses independence and personal growth over a conventional marriage that would constrain her emerging sense of self. Even after learning she is not pregnant, she maintains her decision to pursue her own trajectory, demonstrating her commitment to self-determination over societal expectations.

• anton skrebensky
• marriage proposal
• independence
• pregnancy
• self-determination

Two mine workers attempt to rape Ursula as she walks home, but she manages to escape and hides in a rain-soaked forest until she can compose herself. She returns to the farm traumatized, only to find a telegram from Anton announcing he has married another woman and moved to India. This double blow, the violence against her and the final loss of her connection to Anton, strengthens her resolve to forge her own future rather than rely on others for happiness or security.

Foreshadowing: Her work with the miners' union has already exposed her to the difficult lives of working-class men, making this attack even more complex.

• attack
• forest
• telegram
• india
• escape

After the Boer War ends and Anton returns from South Africa, he and Ursula briefly reunite, but their relationship has fundamentally changed. When Ursula rejects his marriage proposal and it becomes clear she will not compromise her independence for him, Anton leaves with another woman and takes a military post in India. His departure represents the final severing of Ursula's romantic ties to her past, pushing her toward complete self-reliance.

• anton skrebensky
• india
• military
• departure
• rejection

The rainbow that appears as Ursula runs toward it in the final scene completes her symbolic journey from childhood dreamer to independent woman. Whereas she once chased rainbows seeking something unattainable, she now runs toward one she has chosen to pursue on her own terms. The rainbow represents the possibility she has created for herself, not a fantasy imposed by others, but a path she actively selects, echoing her childhood wonder while embodying her adult autonomy.

Foreshadowing: The entire film has built toward this moment, with each rainbow appearance marking a transition in Ursula's understanding of freedom.

• rainbow
• final scene
• symbolism
• freedom
• independence

After returning from London, Ursula seeks meaningful work that serves others rather than conforming to society's expectations. Working with the local miners' union allows her to advocate for better wages and conditions for underprivileged workers, connecting her personal search for purpose with broader social justice. This work represents her shift from pursuing individual desires to committing to collective welfare, finding meaning in helping others rather than in romantic relationships or conventional success.

• miners union
• social justice
• advocacy
• purpose
• community

Ursula resigns from her East End elementary school position after the traumatic cane incident leaves her guilt-ridden and disillusioned. The London school presented harsh conditions: crowded classrooms, poverty, hygiene issues, the headmaster's inappropriate advances, and ultimately her own violent outburst. She cannot reconcile her ideals of compassionate teaching with the reality of disciplinary violence required to survive in that environment, so she returns to Derbyshire to reassess her path.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier resistance to the headmaster foreshadows the moral conflict that eventually drives her away.

• london
• teaching
• resignation
• guilt
• elementary school

Two key events drive Ursula to leave Derbyshire: Winifred's marriage to Uncle Henry ends their romantic relationship, and Anton departs for the Boer War, leaving her feeling abandoned. Seeking to rebuild her life away from painful memories, Ursula decides to become a schoolteacher in London. The move represents her attempt to create a new identity independent of her past relationships, though the city ultimately presents its own challenges that test her resolve.

• london
• move
• winifred
• anton
• new life

When Winifred introduces Ursula to an artist friend who invites her to model nude, Ursula declines the proposition, asserting her own boundaries and dignity. The artist throws her out when she demands payment for her time, treating her as disposable. This encounter forces Ursula to confront the way older figures in her life expose her to uncomfortable situations, marking an important moment in her developing sense of self-respect and personal boundaries.

• artist
• nude modeling
• refusal
• boundaries
• dignity

After losing both Winifred and Anton, Ursula seeks a legitimate path to independence that society recognizes and respects. Teaching offers Victorian women a respectable career that provides both financial self-sufficiency and intellectual engagement. Her move to London and subsequent teaching position represent her first concrete step toward building an identity separate from romantic relationships, though the reality of teaching in poverty-stricken conditions proves far more challenging than she anticipated.

• teaching
• career
• independence
• victorian women
• occupation

Ursula's romance with Winifred ends when Winifred chooses to marry Uncle Henry, a wealthy relative who pursues her during a family visit. Despite the emotional connection between them, Winifred decides security and social standing matter more than their same-sex relationship, which society would never accept. Ursula feels betrayed and abandoned, and this loss propels her toward building an independent life. The two later have a brief, casual reunion when Winifred is married with a child, but the romantic bond has dissolved.

Foreshadowing: Winifred's earlier introduction of Ursula to potentially exploitative situations hints at her own moral compromises.

• winifred inger
• relationship end
• same-sex
• marriage
• abandonment