RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

74
for some time.
It is Clara Dawes, a woman of thirty, separated
from her husband.
It is Miriam who invites Paul to Willey Farm
to meet Clara.
Paul's first impression of this woman is not
very pleasant. Clara is described as a 'man-hater'. She looks
too self-sufficient and this seems why Paul resents and also
feels attracted to this 'phenomenon' of woman.
He is used to his
mother who, in spite of suffering the burden of a wrong marriage,
remains tied up to a man she does not love.
Paul is also used
to Miriam who is submissive to people's opinion and who is never
satisfied with herself if she cannot please whoever she loves.
Clara seems different.
She looks., like a woman who knows what
she wants and, for the moment, she is not very much interested in
a man who looks like a fool.
She is not interested at all in
Paul or any other man.
They are both disagreable to each other.
This is what impels Paul towards the separated woman.
He wants
to tease her till the moment she submits to his will.
What mostly attracts Paul in Clara is her sensuality.
He
does not care to go beyond her physique:
he notices her neck,
her throat, shoulders and breasts.
Things he could not see in
Miriam.
It is interesting to notice how Lawrence describes
Paul's attitudes looking at Clara:
Clara's hat lay on the grass not far off. She was
kneeling, bending forward still to smell the
flowers. Her neck gave [Paul] a sharp pang, such
a beautiful thing, yet not proud of itself just
now. Her breasts swung lightly in her blouse. The
arching curve of her back was beautiful and strong;
she wore no stays. Suddenly, without knowing, he
was scattering a handful of cowslips over her hair
and neck saying:
'Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust,
If the Lord won't have you the devil must'(p.292).
The first point which seems important in this new-born
relationship is that Mrs Morel is not hostile to the idea of