RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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relationship she is going to have with the man:
'No, Nellie, if you were to do such a thing as to
marry him, you could never stop here... And I
know, I know he's only counting what he can get
out of you... He's just a good for nothing, who
doesn't want to work, and who thinks he'll live
on us... If you marry him he'll just make a fool
of you... I know he will, if he can't get Bailey
Farm out of us - and he's not going to, while I
live. He'd soon think he was master of both us,
as he thinks he's master of you already' (p.119).
In this speech, Banford points out at least seven terrible
features of Henry's personality which are enough to destroy any
relation.
However, two things must be considered: first, one
has to think of the two people involved in the conversation -
the speaker and the hearer.
The speaker is extremely jealous,
angry and desperate because she is losing her companion.
Everything she says can be taken just as jealousy and so it
cannot be taken seriously.
The hearer is unable to distinguish
anything because she is in a kind of trance/of dizziness and
enchantment because of the discovery of her new self.
Therefore,
she will never accept what the other says.
All March considers
as being worth saying is: "'I don't think he's as bad as that"'
(p.120).
Besides all the defects Banford has pointed out, there is
another one: Henry is an eavesdropper. Thus, he can plot
perversely against Banford or whoever disturbs him.
Banford says that Henry is bossy, selfish, predatory, cold
and deep. March does not hear. But Banford's evaluation is
right.
He wants to dominate others and since now he cannot fully
develop his bossy spirit he goes out after hearing the
conversation.
He is murderously angry with Banford who is
interfering in his plot.
As he cannot yet kill her he must do
something to release all his repressed aggression: