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
to her because Henry "wouldn't let her exert her love towards him. No, she had to be passive, to acquiesce, and to be submerged under the surface of love" (ibid). In his narrative Lawrence asserts that Henry does not need a woman, he needs some kind of doll ready to open up her arms and mouth only when she is ordered to do so. She can never rise and "look forth above the water while they lived.Never" (ibid). Henry's idea of woman is medieval, horrifying. However, March is not exactly what he wants her to be: "She had been so used to the very opposite" (ibid), and it is very difficult to be transformed at once into the passive woman Henry wants her to be. In Lawrence's narrative, it seems that the characters are at different sides pulling a strong iron chain to see which of them will win over the other (unless they both fall down in the attempt). Therefore, this sense of failure persists till the last page of the story. Lawrence's interference in the narrative is even stronger than one might think. In feeling unable to side either with Henry or with March, he interferes to express his personal feeling about fulfilment. It is as if it were something unattainable. One may think that the goals of human beings (as implied by Lawrence) seem always different when they seem to get there: "You pluck flower after flower — it is never 'the flower. The flower itself is a horrible gulf, it is the bottomless pit" (p.156). Lawrence seems indeed pessimistic here. It is as if he himself had been trying and trying and never finding y/hat he wanted. It also seems that he is anticipating that there is no end in Henry and March's struggle to attain their goals. More about the inner conflict is stated through the author's voice: March has failed to make Banford happy and now she has also failed to fulfil Henry's ideals. Henry
366 wanted her to give herself without defenses, to sink alone and become submerged in him. And she wanted to sit still, like a woman on the last milestone, and watch. She wanted to see, to know, to understand. She wanted to be alone: with him at her side (p.157). It seems clear that they want different things from each other. March wants him to discover life with her and he wants her to live thro\igh .him as a shadow: And hei He did not want her to watch any more, to see any more. He wanted to veil her woman's spirit, as Orientals veil the woman's face. He wanted her to commit herself to him, and put her independent spirit to sleep. He wanted to take away from her all her effort, all that seemed her very raison d'être. He wanted to make her submit, yield, blindly pass away out of all her strenuous consciousness, and make her just his woman. Just his woman (ibid - My underlining). March's idea of femininity allows balance with the male, the mutual acknowledgement that both man and woman have souls and bodies; whereas Henry wants her, seemingly, to give up her "soul", which is associated with her old masculine, assertive self. He wants a satellite (like Birkin!), not an equal. Another monstrous desire Henry has refers to his wish for March to be like a Harera-slave. This sole mention of the Orientals' way of treating their women refers not only to the veil on the spirit, but to their sexuality. Henry wants to deny March's right to orgasm. The man only wants to make use of the woman, cutting out entirely her sense of pleasure. The fact that Lawrence prolongs the inner conflict of the characters shows clearly that within himself he is also in conflict. He does not, or cannot decide what is going on with his characters' desires. If on the one hand he says that Henry wants a submissive woman, he, on the other, says that Henry cannot attain that because March does not seem to be capable of any of
- Page 323 and 324: 314 Carlota. The fact that Ramon wa
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366<br />
wanted her to give herself without defenses, to<br />
sink alone and become submerged in him. And she<br />
wanted to sit still, like a woman on the last<br />
milestone, and watch. She wanted to see, to<br />
know, to understand. She wanted to be alone:<br />
with him at her side (p.157).<br />
It seems clear that they want different things from each other.<br />
March wants him to discover life with her and he wants her to<br />
live thro\igh .him as a shadow:<br />
And hei He did not want her to watch any more,<br />
to see any more. He wanted to veil her woman's<br />
spirit, as Orientals veil the woman's face. He<br />
wanted her to commit herself to him, and put her<br />
independent spirit to sleep. He wanted to take<br />
away from her all her effort, all that seemed her<br />
very raison d'être. He wanted to make her submit,<br />
yield, blindly pass away out of all her strenuous<br />
consciousness, and make her just his woman. Just<br />
his woman (ibid - My underlining).<br />
March's idea of femininity allows balance with the male, the<br />
mutual acknowledgement that both man and woman have souls and<br />
bodies; whereas Henry wants her, seemingly, to give up her<br />
"soul", which is associated with her old masculine, assertive<br />
self.<br />
He wants a satellite (like Birkin!), not an equal. Another<br />
monstrous desire Henry has refers to his wish for March to be<br />
like a Harera-slave.<br />
This sole mention of the Orientals' way of<br />
treating their women refers not only to the veil on the spirit,<br />
but to their sexuality.<br />
Henry wants to deny March's right to<br />
orgasm.<br />
The man only wants to make use of the woman, cutting out<br />
entirely her sense of pleasure.<br />
The fact that Lawrence prolongs the inner conflict of the<br />
characters shows clearly that within himself he is also in<br />
conflict.<br />
He does not, or cannot decide what is going on with<br />
his characters' desires.<br />
If on the one hand he says that Henry<br />
wants a submissive woman, he, on the other, says that Henry cannot<br />
attain that because March does not seem to be capable of any of
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