RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE
RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE
100 of every year. The mother will then look for another son-lover. Consider the following: [Helena] was the earth in which strange flowers grew. But she herself wondered at the flowers produced of her. [Siegmund] was so strange to her, so different from herself. What next would he ask of her, what new blossom would she rear in him then. H6 seemed to grow and flower involuntarily. She merely helped to produce him , (p.36). Thus not only;is their affair illegal because adulterous, but it also bears mythic overtones of incest. Their first night on the island they sleep separately. Helena keeps her room 'inviolate'. Siegmund, though frustrated, keeps laughing immaturely all the time. This implies another important feature of his character, narcissism. There are several passages in the novel which show Siegmund admiring himself. I think that these passages imply his lack of self- confidence as a man. This can be explained by the fact that he finds in his body a sense of self-pleasure as compensation for his frustration in sexual relationships with female partners. As Helena frustrates him sexually, he turns to his own body to be sexually fulfilled. See, for example, this passage in which he goes to the beach alone: He threw his clothes on a high rock. It delighted him to feel the fresh, soft fingers of the wind touching him and wandering timidly over his nakedness. He ran laughing over the sand to the sea, where he waded in, thrusting his legs through the heavy green water (p.40). The 'fingers of the wind' here are a substitute for Helena's fingers. Siegmund's pleasure is immature and it serves as a way to escape from the sexual frustration Helena makes him feel. His laughing implies his immaturity; he is again behaving like a child. He then goes into the water and the sea is a substitute.
101 an analogy for Helena. Siegmund, like almost all Lawrence's male heroes (and D.H. Lawrence himself), is a poor swimmer. Helena is cold, the sea is cold and he shrinks from the contact with the water. In his 'play' with the water there is a clear reference to his affair with Helena: "It is splendid to play, even at middle age, and the sea is a fine partner" (ibid). This reference implies what is happening with him and Helena and, even though she keeps him at a certain distance, he wants to play, even if he is hurt: But in his playing he drifted towards the spur of a rock, where as he swam, he caught his thigh on a sharp, submerged point. He frowned at the pain, at the sudden cruelty of the sea; then he thought no more of it; but ruffled his way back to the clear water, busily continuing his play (ibid). This scene is definitely a metaphor for sex with Helena. The rock hurts him as does her concealed hostility. However, just as he does not stop the affair with Helena, neither does he stop his play with the sea and some pages later a similar accident occurs. Siegmund is either a narcissist or a masochist. It may also be said that the wound he has got in the sea implies a sense of guilt. It comes to him unconsciously because while wanting sex with the woman, he worships her as a goddess: he is, in his own eyes, committing a sin. Siegmund, however, knows that Helena rejects him: 'I am at my best, at my strongest,' he said proudly to himself. 'She ought to be rejoiced at me, but she is not; she rejects me as if I were a baboon under my clothing' (pJ41). This knowledge is soon replaced by his narcissism: He glanced at his whole handsome maturity, the firm plating of his breasts, the full thighs, creatures proud in themselves. Only he was marred by the long raw scratch, which he regretted deeply (ibid).
- Page 59 and 60: to reconcile the children with the
- Page 61 and 62: more persuasive to her sons in the
- Page 63 and 64: succeed in life. This is an unconsc
- Page 65 and 66: to strengthen the relation. This me
- Page 67 and 68: eally wants. He goes from one decis
- Page 69 and 70: prefers to think of death instead o
- Page 71 and 72: 61 mutual acceptance between them.
- Page 73 and 74: 63 implies definitely the mother's
- Page 75 and 76: 65 William. He dies. Mrs Morel's li
- Page 77 and 78: 67 reserve. And on such occasions h
- Page 79 and 80: 69 to go out of it and he has on on
- Page 81 and 82: 71 failure. She is losing her son t
- Page 83 and 84: 73 more are related to his impotenc
- Page 85 and 86: 75 Clara. The idea is that through
- Page 87 and 88: 77 was the marital failure? Who was
- Page 89 and 90: he can have pleasure. Miriam is for
- Page 91 and 92: who she is and what she wants. The
- Page 93 and 94: This is like Paul's passion for Cla
- Page 95 and 96: operate on her, since her heart wou
- Page 97 and 98: 87 'Let's make a sacrifice of Arabe
- Page 99 and 100: characteristics as she had. in what
- Page 101 and 102: My last point about Sons and Lovers
- Page 103 and 104: 93 relation unbearable up to the po
- Page 105 and 106: 95 teacher Siegmund. He is a marrie
- Page 107 and 108: 97 and strong, and fully fruited, h
- Page 109: 99 though Siegmund wants her, she r
- Page 113 and 114: 103 any of the relationships, nor c
- Page 115 and 116: 105 Helena's sharpness, and will-to
- Page 117 and 118: 107 like him: She glanced up at Sie
- Page 119 and 120: 109 Siegmund, usually a bad swimmer
- Page 121 and 122: Ill the moon:"Rocked thus on his st
- Page 123 and 124: 113 connotation in his mind) . In f
- Page 125 and 126: 115 is to warn Siegmund of the dang
- Page 127 and 128: 117 ... For centuries a certain typ
- Page 129 and 130: 119 she alone will not bear the gui
- Page 131 and 132: 121 The idea which is implicit here
- Page 133 and 134: 123 not see it. He bowed in obedien
- Page 135 and 136: 125 laurels of having given Siegmun
- Page 137 and 138: 128 as always, is not aware of Sieg
- Page 139 and 140: 130 on her hat, her eyes, gazing he
- Page 141 and 142: 132 to perforin the action. The nar
- Page 143 and 144: 134 extreme splits of soul/body. 'B
- Page 145 and 146: 136 prepares the path to the other.
- Page 147 and 148: 138 connection with the land. This
- Page 149 and 150: 140 Tom proposes marriage to Lydia:
- Page 151 and 152: 142 They looked at each other, a de
- Page 153 and 154: 144 of taking a mistress because "t
- Page 155 and 156: and thinks of them "as if they were
- Page 157 and 158: 148 actualy loves or hates. The mix
- Page 159 and 160: 15 0 Will is an artist and his conc
101<br />
an analogy for Helena. Siegmund, like almost all Lawrence's male<br />
heroes (and D.H. Lawrence himself), is a poor swimmer.<br />
Helena<br />
is cold, the sea is cold and he shrinks from the contact with<br />
the water.<br />
In his 'play' with the water there is a clear<br />
reference to his affair with Helena: "It is splendid to play,<br />
even at middle age, and the sea is a fine partner" (ibid). This<br />
reference implies what is happening with him and Helena and, even<br />
though she keeps him at a certain distance, he wants to play,<br />
even if he is hurt:<br />
But in his playing he drifted towards the spur<br />
of a rock, where as he swam, he caught his thigh<br />
on a sharp, submerged point. He frowned at the<br />
pain, at the sudden cruelty of the sea; then he<br />
thought no more of it; but ruffled his way back<br />
to the clear water, busily continuing his play<br />
(ibid).<br />
This scene is definitely a metaphor for sex with Helena.<br />
The<br />
rock hurts him as does her concealed hostility.<br />
However, just<br />
as he does not stop the affair with Helena, neither does he stop<br />
his play with the sea and some pages later a similar accident<br />
occurs. Siegmund is either a narcissist or a masochist. It may<br />
also be said that the wound he has got in the sea implies a<br />
sense of guilt.<br />
It comes to him unconsciously because while<br />
wanting sex with the woman, he worships her as a goddess: he is,<br />
in his own eyes, committing a sin.<br />
Siegmund, however, knows that Helena rejects him:<br />
'I am at my best, at my strongest,' he said<br />
proudly to himself. 'She ought to be rejoiced at<br />
me, but she is not; she rejects me as if I were a<br />
baboon under my clothing' (pJ41).<br />
This knowledge is soon replaced by his narcissism:<br />
He glanced at his whole handsome maturity, the<br />
firm plating of his breasts, the full thighs,<br />
creatures proud in themselves. Only he was marred<br />
by the long raw scratch, which he regretted<br />
deeply (ibid).
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