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
353 ended with the death of Tom and, after that, Lydia somehow returns to her previous unknown self, individual in herself. With Tom's death Lawrence makes his characters again start from scratch. The example of Tom and Lydia's balance is too weak, therefore, to be taken into account. As for the second generation, Ursula's parents do not achieve a strong sense of fulfilment. Their 'balance' is false chiefly because it is based on a relation of dominance of the female over the male. The 'fatal female' in Anna destroys the individuality of Will as accounted for by her (or their) disrespect for her husband. Anna assumes the man's role in the business of the home. Their meeting does not contain an equilibrium between soul and body. The only possibility for them to be 'equals' is in their obsession with sex. Both man and woman are like monomaniacs in their marriage. They seek for nothing apart from sex. Ursula, in her generation, is the one who must explore the world in order to painfully discover the seeds of human fulfilment. However, instead of fulfilment, all she is able to find is disillusionment. First in her love for her father: she soon discovers that Will's love is a dangerous one (see the chapter called "The Child"). Her second disappointment refers to her first lover, Skrebensky, who fails her. He is not a 'son of God' who would help her to know life. While Ursula is a strong female connected with the white power of the moon. Skrebensky is only a poor shadow disconnected from the word 'being'. Ursula 'destroys' him and is unfulfilled. .Thirdly, she falls in love with her schoolteacher Winifred Inger. The homosexual affair only serves to show Ursula the corrupted side of society. Winifred makes a perfect match with Ursula's uncle Tom. Both are representatives of corruption since they praise the machine instead of the human
35 4- being. In fourth place comes Ursula's extremely negative experience at Brinsley Street school. There she is forced to learn that society is not formed by individuals. Society has no place for them. Instead, there is only authoritarianism, power and submission. Ursula gives part of herself to that world of automatons and she 'succeeds'. However, the price has been too high because her soul is not the same after this disillusionment. She leaves the school and, a restless dreamer, she goes to the university where she once more becomes disappointed. The teachers are not 'priests of knowledge' as she thought they were. In the middle of her disillusionment she escapes from the university to recall Skrebensky to her mind. Thus she fails her examination. As for her lover, he again fails her, this time forever. He marries another girl and Ursula is not notified of the marriage. By this time she becomes pregnant by Skrebensky. This fact leads her to a 'nightmare' in which she gives over her previous search for fulfilment in life. She writes a letter to Skrebensky in which she says she will submit to him because of the child. Ursula is in a terrible inner conflict and because of it she confronts some horses which are no other than the tormented projection of everything she fears. In trying to escape from her inner fear she loses her baby by miscarriage. After all these horrible experiences we find another Ursula apparently ready to be reborn: but the idea of the old dreaming Ursula is still present in the new one. And here is the very flaw of the book. Lawrence puts an enormous effort into making us believe Ursula is really renewed. However, the most he can attain in his attempt is a sense of an unconvincing end. For instance, when Ursula receives Skrebensky's cablegram
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353<br />
ended with the death of Tom and, after that, Lydia somehow<br />
returns to her previous unknown self, individual in herself.<br />
With Tom's death Lawrence makes his characters again start from<br />
scratch.<br />
The example of Tom and Lydia's balance is too weak,<br />
therefore, to be taken into account.<br />
As for the second<br />
generation, Ursula's parents do not achieve a strong sense of<br />
fulfilment.<br />
Their 'balance' is false chiefly because it is<br />
based on a relation of dominance of the female over the male.<br />
The 'fatal female' in Anna destroys the individuality of Will as<br />
accounted for by her (or their) disrespect for her husband. Anna<br />
assumes the man's role in the business of the home.<br />
Their<br />
meeting does not contain an equilibrium between soul and body.<br />
The only possibility for them to be 'equals' is in their obsession<br />
with sex.<br />
Both man and woman are like monomaniacs in their<br />
marriage. They seek for nothing apart from sex. Ursula, in her<br />
generation, is the one who must explore the world in order to<br />
painfully discover the seeds of human fulfilment.<br />
However,<br />
instead of fulfilment, all she is able to find is disillusionment.<br />
First in her love for her father: she soon discovers that Will's<br />
love is a dangerous one (see the chapter called "The Child").<br />
Her second disappointment refers to her first lover, Skrebensky,<br />
who fails her. He is not a 'son of God' who would help her to<br />
know life. While Ursula is a strong female connected with the<br />
white power of the moon. Skrebensky is only a poor shadow<br />
disconnected from the word 'being'.<br />
Ursula 'destroys' him and<br />
is unfulfilled. .Thirdly, she falls in love with her schoolteacher<br />
Winifred Inger.<br />
The homosexual affair only serves to<br />
show Ursula the corrupted side of society.<br />
Winifred makes a<br />
perfect match with Ursula's uncle Tom.<br />
Both are representatives<br />
of corruption since they praise the machine instead of the human