RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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on her hat, her eyes, gazing heavily, met her heavy eyes in the
mirror. She glanced away swiftly as if she had been burned"(p.
166). This seems to be one of the most realistic scenes in the
book because it expresses directly, not through dreams or
symbols, what the character is feeling. It is worth noticing
that this happens without Siegmund's presence.
Now that he is
absent, his presence is much more vivid. He exists now as her
guilt and that is why Helena cannot face her own eyes.
After this brief scene Lawrence is back to Siegmund's
home. Beatrice explodes in anger towards Siegmund. She throws
back at him all his irresponsibility towards the children and
the home.
He has gone from one oppressive woman to another. The
first with the claims of the dreaming woman, and the other with
the claims of earthly problems to oppress him more and more.
Beatrice is cross and bitter to him; she calls him "coward", and
he silently accepts what she says:
'You coward-you miserable coward! It is I, is
it, who am wrong? It is I who am to blame, is it?
You miserable thing. I have no doubt you know what
I am. '
Siegmund looked up at her as her words died off...
His eyes were bloodshoot and furtive, his mouth was
drawn back in a half-grin of hate and misery. She
was goading him, in his darkness whither he had
withdrawn himself like a sick dog, to die or recover
as his strengh should prove (p.169).
Lawrence here presents the woman with no sympathy.
The man, the
poor dog is a victim.
The author seems to identify himself with
Siegmund for he never condemns him directly.
On the contrary,
Siegmund is always presented as the victim.
The last time Helena and Siegmund meet is at the station.
Their conversation is full of overtones of death.
He tells
Helena that she must promise to go on living no matter what
happens to him: "'Remember, dear, two wrongs don't make a