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
2 To analyse conflict in Lawrence is to try to establish a pattern of how conflict works, increases and is solved among the characters of his fiction. Conflict, it seems to me, is, in Lawrence's case, generally related to a certain inner desire on the characters' part to achieve a degree of self-confidence. Conflict and love are bound together in terms of female and male inner needs — balance, domination, submission — and they form the basic and central battle between man and woman. The subject of conflict is a very complex one. The great obstacle in writing about such a theme is that it depends on how people define the word 'conflict'. Opinions vary and, in dealing with Lawrence, this fact becomes increasingly difficult since his major critics generally have opposed views, as we are going to see. Critical opinions vary because researchers on Lawrence view conflict according to a pattern of their own sometimes based strictly on psychology, feminism, chauvinism, etc. My own opinion is that conflict, exactly because of its complexity, must not be defined according to this or that particular approach. Because I do not intend to impose upon the stories a certain fixed idea, conflict will be seen in its strict connection with the texts. Some critics (such as George Ford, Keith Sagar, for example) define Lawrence's works as having a kind of pattern in which conflict is developed. This pattern divides the opus into three main phases. Phase one implies Lawrence's strong attachment to his mother, a strong woman who is seen as victorious in the family relation. In phase two, as seen by the critics, the shift of sympathy from mother to father is still latent and
3 because of this, this phase is considered as the most balanced of the three. The third phase is the one in which Lawrence deals with the leadership theme and in it the author tends to defeat the love for his mother in favor of his father. There is also a fourth phase, of less importance. In this final phase Lawrence reverses his previous values and returns to the love scheme which has marked his career, without caring to demonstrate the defeat of the woman. He actually wants to reconcile father and mother, but most critics find this late "return to tenderness" reflects a Lawrence who has weakened not. only physically, due to tuberculosis,but also artistically. All these phases are marked by a division in the self. Mind and body are two separate elements and throughout Lawrence's career he makes an enormous effort to reconcile these two elements. It is a hard battle that goes on within; the author and a most difficult and persisting battle for the characters too. These two forces are seen always in opposition, as if they could never meet. Also it can be said that for Lawrence mind is something related to the woman — always the fair woman, highly spiritual. The body is often associated with the dark male, the sensual lover, always seen as inferior in relation to the strong heroine. Review of Criticism I have the firm impression that critics in general have a tendency to write criticism not specifically for ordinary readers. Their audience is to a certain extent a sophisticated one. Critics very often write for other critics. Sometimes their analyses fail to clarify for the common reader what seems
- Page 1 and 2: UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA CATAR
- Page 3 and 4: iii A todas as pessoas que ainda a-
- Page 5 and 6: V AGRADECIMENTO ESPECIAL Ao Profess
- Page 7 and 8: vii relationships. Yet, the partner
- Page 9 and 10: ix Lawrence mostra uma tentativa de
- Page 11: CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF PROBLEM When
- Page 15 and 16: 5 The views of these above mentione
- Page 17 and 18: 7 female reader will remember herse
- Page 19 and 20: Millets' tendentious criticism stat
- Page 21 and 22: 11 Everyone who writes on Lawrence
- Page 23 and 24: 13 As for homosexuality (which Moor
- Page 25 and 26: 15 two thirds of the book [Huxley]
- Page 27 and 28: 17 in this dissertation. Vivas' vie
- Page 29 and 30: 19 lack of evidence to prove his po
- Page 31 and 32: 21 text and supported by the text.
- Page 33 and 34: 23 kind of bridge for her search. H
- Page 35 and 36: 25 As for the affair between Gudrun
- Page 37 and 38: 27 a position Lawrence could not de
- Page 39 and 40: 29 the love of the powerful mother,
- Page 41 and 42: 31 can be associated with Dr Franks
- Page 43 and 44: 33 indifferent to human life. Yet h
- Page 45 and 46: 35 he says "Yet at the end, when Ci
- Page 47 and 48: 37 spiritual, or aggressive women a
- Page 49 and 50: CHAPTER II THE PATTERN OF CONFLICT
- Page 51 and 52: 41 and mind superiority. She is wha
- Page 53 and 54: 43 father was serving beer in a pub
- Page 55 and 56: 45 the control the whole family wit
- Page 57 and 58: eturning home drunken and certainly
- Page 59 and 60: to reconcile the children with the
- Page 61 and 62: more persuasive to her sons in the
3<br />
because of this, this phase is considered as the most balanced<br />
of the three.<br />
The third phase is the one in which Lawrence<br />
deals with the leadership theme and in it the author tends to<br />
defeat the love for his mother in favor of his father.<br />
There is<br />
also a fourth phase, of less importance.<br />
In this final phase<br />
Lawrence reverses his previous values and returns to the love<br />
scheme which has marked his career, without caring to<br />
demonstrate the defeat of the woman.<br />
He actually wants to<br />
reconcile father and mother, but most critics find this late<br />
"return to tenderness" reflects a Lawrence who has weakened not.<br />
only physically, due to tuberculosis,but also artistically.<br />
All these phases are marked by a division in the self.<br />
Mind and body are two separate elements and throughout<br />
Lawrence's career he makes an enormous effort to reconcile these<br />
two elements.<br />
It is a hard battle that goes on within; the author<br />
and a most difficult and persisting battle for the characters<br />
too.<br />
These two forces are seen always in opposition, as if they<br />
could never meet.<br />
Also it can be said that for Lawrence mind is<br />
something related to the woman — always the fair woman, highly<br />
spiritual.<br />
The body is often associated with the dark male, the<br />
sensual lover, always seen as inferior in relation to the strong<br />
heroine.<br />
Review of Criticism<br />
I have the firm impression that critics in general have a<br />
tendency to write criticism not specifically for ordinary<br />
readers.<br />
Their audience is to a certain extent a sophisticated<br />
one. Critics very often write for other critics. Sometimes<br />
their analyses fail to clarify for the common reader what seems
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