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
60 It hurt the boy keenly, this feeling about her that she had never had her life's fulfilment and his own incapability to make up to her hurt him with a sense of impotence, yet made him patiently dogged inside. It was his childish aim (ibid.). The fact that Paul is ill provides the definition of his love for his mother and hate for his father. Paul only wants his mother to take care of him, to nurse him. He cannot even stand his father's proximity to him. His mother is all he wants. This possessive love allows one to think that love is sometimes too selfish, for it does not allow strangers to interfere in the relation. It is at this point that Lawrence becomes mixed with Paul, and presenting Paul's wish to sleep with Mrs Morel, the author seems to express his own desire to sleep with his mother. Lawrence interferes in Paul's feelings with his personal opinions. The reader gets confused then: is it Paul or Lawrence expressing this exasperated love for the mother? Paul loved to sleep with his mother. Sleep is still most perfect, in spite of hygienists, when it is shared with a beloved. The warmth, the security and peace of soul, the utter comfort from the touch of the other, knits the sleep, so that it takes the body and soul completely in its healing. Paul lay.against her and slept, and got better; whilst she, always a bad sleeper, fell later on into a profound sleep that seemed to give her faith (p.87). It seems here that Lawrence is speaking, quite without irony, and unaware of the 'Oedipal' dimension of all this. Paul and his mother complete each other in thoughts and actions. Since he is her 'shadow' or counterpart, or twin-soul, all he does is for her and vice-versa. Up to now there is no domination, or rather there is a kind of 'happy marriage' going on. Paul submits to her and submits her to his love. She is dominated and dominates in her love. There is what I call a
61 mutual acceptance between them. Paul identifies with his mother. Everything done means pleasure. They are always pleasing each other. They accept each other as a normal rule. There is no ruler in the strict sense. reader's knowledge of what is going on; Only there is the Mrs Morel is 'punishing' herself for not having loved Paul since he was conceived. Thus she must commit herself (with pleasure) to her love for the boy. Mrs Morel even thinks aloud near her son and it is as if he were not her son but a part of herself in front of her, like a mirror: So she talked to her son, almost as if she were thinking aloud to him, and he took it as best as he could, by sharing her trouble to lighten it. And in the end she shared almost everything with him without knowing (p.111). Life has always been hard for lower class people. It is an old practice for poor families to throw their children into the world early in their teens, so that they can help at home. The Morel family is not different. William is the first one who gets a job in town, then goes away to London and, for a while, sends money to his mother. However, as soon as Gypsy appears in his life he stops supporting his family. Now Paul, at the age of fourteen, is thrown into the world to work in order to help his family. He applies for a job at the Jordan's office (a factory which deals with surgical appliances) and gets it. The most interesting point in this passage of the novel is that Paul applies for the job and it is his mother who guides him into this business. She feels responsible for her son's first job, therefore, she must command his initial steps otherwise her poor child will feel lost. Before Paul enters Mr Jordan's room where he will be interviewed, a very funny scene occurs. Paul follows his mother shyly as if afraid of being 'punished' for his application. Mrs Morel looks like an enormous chicken protecting
- 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
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- 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
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- 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
- Page 63 and 64: succeed in life. This is an unconsc
- Page 65 and 66: to strengthen the relation. This me
- Page 67 and 68: eally wants. He goes from one decis
- Page 69: prefers to think of death instead o
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- Page 81 and 82: 71 failure. She is losing her son t
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- Page 85 and 86: 75 Clara. The idea is that through
- Page 87 and 88: 77 was the marital failure? Who was
- Page 89 and 90: he can have pleasure. Miriam is for
- Page 91 and 92: who she is and what she wants. The
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- Page 107 and 108: 97 and strong, and fully fruited, h
- Page 109 and 110: 99 though Siegmund wants her, she r
- Page 111 and 112: 101 an analogy for Helena. Siegmund
- Page 113 and 114: 103 any of the relationships, nor c
- Page 115 and 116: 105 Helena's sharpness, and will-to
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61<br />
mutual acceptance between them.<br />
Paul identifies with his<br />
mother. Everything done means pleasure. They are always<br />
pleasing each other.<br />
They accept each other as a normal rule.<br />
There is no ruler in the strict sense.<br />
reader's knowledge of what is going on;<br />
Only there is the<br />
Mrs Morel is 'punishing'<br />
herself for not having loved Paul since he was conceived.<br />
Thus<br />
she must commit herself (with pleasure) to her love for the boy.<br />
Mrs Morel even thinks aloud near her son and it is as if he were<br />
not her son but a part of herself in front of her, like a mirror:<br />
So she talked to her son, almost as if she were<br />
thinking aloud to him, and he took it as best as<br />
he could, by sharing her trouble to lighten it.<br />
And in the end she shared almost everything with<br />
him without knowing (p.111).<br />
Life has always been hard for lower class people.<br />
It is an<br />
old practice for poor families to throw their children into the<br />
world early in their teens, so that they can help at home.<br />
The<br />
Morel family is not different.<br />
William is the first one who gets<br />
a job in town, then goes away to London and, for a while,<br />
sends money to his mother. However, as soon as Gypsy appears<br />
in his life he stops supporting his family.<br />
Now Paul, at the age<br />
of fourteen, is thrown into the world to work in order to help<br />
his family. He applies for a job at the Jordan's office (a<br />
factory which deals with surgical appliances) and gets it.<br />
The<br />
most interesting point in this passage of the novel is that Paul<br />
applies for the job and it is his mother who guides him into this<br />
business.<br />
She feels responsible for her son's first job,<br />
therefore, she must command his initial steps otherwise her poor<br />
child will feel lost.<br />
Before Paul enters Mr Jordan's room where<br />
he will be interviewed, a very funny scene occurs.<br />
Paul follows<br />
his mother shyly as if afraid of being 'punished' for his<br />
application.<br />
Mrs Morel looks like an enormous chicken protecting