T H E S I S

35
cock just quoted in the two previous pages, partly disproves
Moore’s statement. Maybe for Moore homosexuality is only a sexual
relation between men, probably including anality. Certainly
homosexuality does include sexual practices between men, even
anality, but it does not exclude the possibility that it is only
the necessity for man’s contact and the pleasure of being with
man instead of woman, as we see in The White Peacock. The "latent”
homosexuality of Cyril and George is confirmed by the idealistic
and indirect style of the book, which tends to substitute
fantasies for realities, or men (’ego” substitutes) for women.
Cyril tends to be more ’roused” by' the contact with nature than
by the contact with women, and he tends to substitute Emily for
George.
While the triangle George-Lettie-Leslie is the basis of the
main plot in The White Peacock? the secondary plot which presents
the same failure and sexual unfulfilment, deals with the relation
of Cyril to George’s sister Emily. Jessie’s history as Lawrence's
first girl-friend was the background for Lawrence's creation of
Cyril and Emily, and both in real life and in fiction the relationship
was unsatisfactory and practically platonic. Hhile Jessie
launched the artist in Lawrence and seemed to ignore the man, he
simply ignored the woman in Jessie. They were both puritanical
as we can see in Jessie's A Personal Record and the same puritanism
is seen in the novel in relation to Emily and Cyril. Even an
innocent kiss, so common in the story, (written under Jessie’s
influence and even supervision), is denied to Emily though she
and Cyril have experienced years of close friendship.
What prevents Cyril - Lawrence from loving Emily - Jessie