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Rachelle Yoojung Moon

Mrs.Brayko AP Literature
Author Study D.H. Lawrence
28 April, 2014
Love in the Perspective of D.H. Lawrence
INTRODUCTION
David Herbert Richards Lawrence, well-known as D.H. Lawrence, entails not only the
title of an acclaimed early-20th century British writer but also a head figure in what we could
call erotic literature. Yet despite the pornographic scenes present in all of his novels, D.H.
Lawrences dexterity with words reveals an attracting beauty that persuades the readers to
understand, rather than be disgusted with, the lascivious characters in his works. But most
importantly, the basis of such persuasion begins with his deliberation about love, whether these
physical and sexual attractions that his characters experience truly reflect their emotional
aspirations.
Although this theme of love is predominant in all three novels, Sons and Lovers, Women
in Love, and Lady Chatterleys Lover, the form that Lawrence presents the subject is unique to
each novel. Sons and Lovers, written in 1913 as the first novel of the three, highlights love in a
mother-son relationship, in which Freuds Oedipus Complex exacerbates this ambiguity of
Paul Morels emotions for his mother Miriam. In Women in Love, on the other hand, published in
1920, D.H. Lawrence examines the undistinguished boundary of a brotherly love between two
friends, Gerald and Rupert, who each fall in love with the two Brangwen sisters. Lady
Chatterleys Lover, published in 1928, concentrates on the exact definition of love--whether
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Mellors and Connie have an affair because of their emotional attractions or simply to temporarily
break away from their frustrated lives.
Various aspects in D.H. Lawrences novels resemble his own life experiences. One of the
most prominent features in his works is coal mining. Alluding to his coal-miner father, Lawrence
includes a character related to mining in all three novels: Clifford in Lady Chatterlys Lover as
the owner of mines within his estate, Gerald in Women in Love as the heir of a coal mining
business, and William in Sons and Lovers as a miner. All of his novels take place in England, and
the settings are very much alike with the house he lived as a childparticularly,
Nottinghamshire, his home village, is the setting in Lady Chatterleys Lover. He also experienced
the First World War throughout his writing career, and his stance against militarism is eminent in
his writing, usually through the characters in his novels, as well. Moreover, the reason Lawrence
deals with such promiscuous and scandalous themes is probably due to his own experience of
marrying his wife through an affair.
Overall, D.H. Lawrence ingeniously brings out various aspects of his life into his novels,
depicting unorthodox characteristics of man that are actually instinctive in nature. Though the
general plot of his novels are as simple as they can be, the characters and their complex
relationships portray the internal conflict between humans desires and responsibilities.

LOVE IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS
What is love? seems to be one of the most prominent questions that Lawrence deals
with throughout all three novels. D.H. Lawrence, in order to stress the multifaceted characteristic
of love, brings out various situations in which love is the domineering emotion.
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The Oedipus Complex. In Sons and Lovers, Lawrence applies Freuds Oedipus Complex,
induced by the incapable patriarchs continued abuse on his children as well as the matriarchs
overprotective attitude towards her children.
As Becket states, It is not surprising, given the popularity at this time of the
ideas of the psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, that Sons and Lovers was
immediately received and reviewed as a 'Freudian' novel. Freud's notion of the
Oedipus complex was in circulation, and many readers interpreted Sons and
Lovers as a fictional account of the idea given the vivid representation of the
mother-father-son triangle at the heart of the book, with its implications for Paul
Morel's emotional life while his mother lives.
As a result, all of Mrs.Morels sons grow a hatred against their father and, on the other
hand, grow overly dependent and caring for their mother. The main protagonist Paul,
Mrs.Morels favorite son, continually prays for his mothers safety Lord, let my father
die, demonstrating his unnatural loathing for his father (Sons and Lovers 95). Yet this hatred
towards his father parallels an unusual attraction towards his mother that goes beyond maternal
love. Such emotion causes the eventual separation from Miriam, his lover, most likely provoked
by his mothers behavior that A sons my son till he takes him a wife (Sons and Lovers 341).
This implies a sense that Pauls marriage with Miriam is a betrayal towards his mother, clearly
illustrating the ambiguity as to whether the love Paul feels for his mother is simply out of a
mother-son relationship, or actually out of a male-female attraction.
Lawrences distortion of this instinctive love between a mother and son not only roots
from the prevalent Freudian philosophies, but alsoand more eminentlyfrom his own familial
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experiences. Alluding almost identically to Paul, Lawrence went through phases of genuine
dislike for his father, and contempt for what were perceived to be his limitations. Lawrence loved
his mother, was 'on her side', and cared deeply about what she thought of him as a man and an
artist (Becket). This correlation and conscious reflection of his own background reveals
Lawrences honesty towards the possibility of abnormal lovethat Pauls feelings for his
mother were not an exaggeration, but a natural part in possibly any mans life.
Homosexuality or Friendship. Similarly, Women in Love elucidates another complex dimension
of lovefriendship versus spousal relationship. In Women in Love, the two Brangwen sisters
Ursula and Gudrun fall in love with Birkin and Gerald respectively. D.H. Lawrences
illuminatingly sexual description of these partnerships acts as evidence to prove that none of
these characters are homosexual. However, Birkin and Gerald, who are exact foils of each other,
create the atmosphere that opposites attract. Lawrence emphasizes this unclear attraction that
these two men have for each other, and continuously generates a suspicion that they may be, in
fact, in love beyond their friendship.
Lawrence describes a wrestling scene, which deliberately should be mistaken as a sex
scene: Then he quickly threw off his clothes, and waited for Birkin. The latter, white and thin,
came over to him. Birkin was more a presence than a visible object, Gerald was aware of him
completely, but not really visually. Whereas Gerald himself was concrete and noticeable, a piece
of pure final substance (Women in Love 261).
At the end of the novel, Birkin tells Ursula, [Gerald] should have loved me, he said. I
offered him, during his mourning for Geralds death in the mountains with Gudrun (Women in
Love 403). This quote demonstrates a vagueness as to what Birkin was trying to imply, but the
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characteristic of this passage more or less stresses the idea that Birkin envied Gudrun for
Geralds love. Although Birkin repressed his emotions physically, this quote resembles that those
emotions did exist. Despite the title, Women in Love, Lawrence seems to portray that men are in
love with each other, their emotions surpassing the boundary of friendship at times.
An Affair of True Love. Lawrences ingenious use of this ambiguous characteristic of love
continues in Lady Chatterleys Lover. A quite astonishing resemblance to Lawrences own love
story, this novel delves into external affairs and whether love, as a pure emotional attraction,
exists in such relationships.
The female protagonist, Connie Reid, is essentially isolated both sexually and
emotionally from her spouse, Clifford Chatterley, after he returns paralyzed from war. Clifford
solely focuses on his writing and enjoys circles of writers without the presence of his wife.
Physically unable to cuddle into her husbands embrace, Connie soon finds Oliver Mellors, an
employee, and begins the scandalous affair. The most prominent question concerning the
relationship between Mellors and Connie is whether their physical actions are based on a real
emotional feeling, whether their sex is simply a refuge from isolation, an entertainment to
temporarily distract them from their lives. This obscurity is only later resolved by the characters
themselves, who at first are unclear of their emotions. Connie, in the beginning of the novel,
felt a sudden, strange leap of sympathy for him, a leap mingled with compassion, and tinged
with repulsion, amounting almost to love (Lady Chatterleys Lover 30). She does not admit that
her emotions display love, but realizes that the weight of the emotions is the same as that of love.
Yet, Mellors later feels a sheer love for the woman, suggesting that he did love her, that sex
was just an expression of their passionate feelings (Lady Chatterleys Lover 143). Despite
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Lawrences appreciative conclusion in this novel that the two protagonists truly loved each other,
the topic of love is still intriguing in Lady Chatterleys Lover because of its title. As the title,
Lady Chatterleys Lover, suggests, Connie is still the spouse of Clifford Chatterley, and she is,
regardless of her love towards Mellors, responsible for that position since she is married.
Mellors, who also has a wife, has that responsibility as well. Thus, this novel questions whether
the ethical responsibilities can be abandoned if true love appears.
Despite the unhappy ending of this novel, Lawrences own affair resulted quite happily.
When Lawrence married Friega Weekley, she already had a husband and three children (Jasmin).
Thus, the fact that Mellors and Connie could not get back together may not have been intentional
to discourage an affair especially that out of true love.
As Balpert states, Lady Chatterley herself does occupy dramatic center-stage, related as
she is by plot and theme both to the impotence of Clifford, and to her rebirth through Mellors.
But Lawrence's recognizable intention in this novel is to illustrate those modes of belief and
manners of sex which men display in their various ways of "loving" Lady Chatterley (Balpert).
Therefore, Connies situation merely could have portrayed the possibility of love in
multifaceted perspectives: her emotions were attracted towards Mellors yet she was legally
bound to her husband Clifford, conveying that both tracks could have been embedded with
love.

LOVE AS A LEGAL CONSCIENCE
D.H. Lawrence, most assuredly affected by his own spousal career, frequently leads his
characters to question their decision for marriage. Despite the facile process to a sexual
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relationship, he suggests that a being bound by law is in different matters, and thatmaybe
loves definition does not always contain marriage.
Marriage Divided by a Mother. Paul, the very victim of the Oedipus Complex in Sons and
Lovers, feels bound to protect his mother from his own father who he sees as the Devil. This
obligation, which obscurely mirrors a lovers adoration, interferes with his decision to marry
Miriam, or any woman at all. "But I shan't marry, mother. I shall live with you, and we'll have a
servant, Paul says, vowing to stay with his mother forever (Sons and Lovers 285). Yet the oddity
is in Pauls desire to want the marriage with Miriam, as if this desire was subconsciously
suppressed by his promise with his mother.
He might have married her; but his circumstances at home made it difficult, and,
moreover, he did not want to marry. Marriage was for life, and because they had
become close companions, he and she, he did not see that it should inevitably
follow they should be man and wife. He did not feel that he wanted marriage
with Miriam. He wished he did. He would have given his head to have felt a
joyous desire to marry her and to have her. Then why couldn't he bring it off?
There was some obstacle; and what was the obstacle? It lay in the physical
bondage. He shrank from the physical contact. But why? With her he felt bound
up inside himself. He could not go out to her. (Sons and Lovers 386)
Pauls inability to identify the source obstructing his decisions for marriage is never
resolved. This incapable protagonist is pitifully trapped without his own power to decide: either
Mrs.Morel or Miriam must let him go from her womb. But neither ends up with Paul, a
fortunate ending for him to find his own self. As Becket continues, If they [had] found a way to
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share him, then, given the language of self-dispersal and absorption in the narrative, nothing, in
fact, would be left of him (Becket). This suggests Lawrences askew view towards marriage,
that this legal binding can become a cage rather than a key for a freedom of love.
Marriage to Free or Not to Free. Most evidence of Lawrences deliberation on marriage is laid
out in Women in Love. The novel begins with the two Brangwen sisters in discourse about
marriage: While Gudrun believes in the need to experience marriage for the sake of experiencing
it, Ursula argues that marriage is More likelythe end of experience, demonstrating the polar
positions toward a spousal bondage (Women in Love 3). But who knew? Ursula, the Brangwen
sister who equalized marriage to the immediate loss of freedom, succeeds in wedding with
Birkin, while Gudrun ends up with Gerald, the potential spouse, dead. This change in perspective
is, in actuality, prevalent throughout all four characters.
The greatest example in Women in Love is Rupert Birkin. Initially, he refused to marry
Hermione, despite his belief that life should be central to one single activity (Women in Love
22-24). His philosophy continues, so perceptively stating that There is a real impersonal me,
that is beyond love, beyond any emotional relationship (Women in Love 142). Birkins ideals
immediately suggest that self is more valuable than the connection between two lovers, that, in
essence, identity prevails over marriage.
To sting Ursulas heart even deeper, Birkin devalues the power of love: And they say
that love is the greatest thing; they persist in saying this, the foul liars, and just look at what they
do! Look at all the millions of people who repeat every minute that love is the greatest, and
charity is the greatest - and see what they are doing all the time (Women in Love 223).
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Birkins words seem to advocate his own feelings towards Ursula, suggesting that his
emotions of love are actually part of a lie, that the reason he cannot express them is because it is
not the truth. And possibly, Birkins reluctance towards marrying Hermione may have flourished
from the overwhelming realization that his feelings were not quite as honest as he could say
them. Once he became completely aware of a truthful love towards Ursula, he changed his
decision about an eternal promise of love.
Like Birkin, Ursulas point of view towards marriage alters drastically. The transformed
Birkin became obsessed with Ursulas answer for his marriage proposal, simply and counter-
effectively scaring Ursula to silence. I wasnt ready in myself, Ursula admits, hesitating before
she weds Birkin. Yet again resembling Birkin himself, she realizes that love is the greatest power,
the source of confidence that allowed her to believe in an absolute surrender to love (Women in
Love 674).
Marriage defies True Love. In Lady Chatterleys Lover, D.H. Lawrence again defends the view
that marriage and love are two different entities. Connie, a so-called widow of sexuality due to
Cliffords paralysis preventing them from having sex anymore, commits to having an affair with
Michaelis, an Irish aristocrat (Lady Chatterleys Lover 15). Although Connie admits to
appreciating the erotic excitement this man provides, she rejects his request for marriage. But I
am married already, she said. I cant leave Clifford, you know (Lady Chatterleys Lover 32).
Her acknowledgement to Clifford demonstrates that she feels internally obligated towards her
husband despite his inability to please her sexually.
As if to know and trust Connies loyalty, Clifford proposes her having a child with
another man for the purpose of inheriting the business and the estate. In spite of Connies
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preoccupation about the other man, Clifford was unmindful of the physical intercoursethe
fact that another man was tainting his wifes body:
What does it matter? It's the life-long companionship that matters. It's the living
together from day to day, not the sleeping together once or twice. You and I are
married, no matter what happens to usThe long, slow, enduring thing...that's
what we live by...not the occasional spasm of any sortThats the real secret of
marriage, not sex; at least not the simple function of sex. You and I are
interwoven in a marriage. If we stick to that we ought to be able to arrange this
sex thing, as we arrange going to the dentist; since fate has given us a checkmate
physically there. (Lady Chatterleys Lover 28)
Although Lawrence primitively stresses a greater importance on the legal contract that
Clifford and his wife maintains, Cliffords arrogance is soon betrayed by Lady Chatterleys love
for Mellors. This re-suggests that Lawrence believes, again, in the power of true love. Despite
the apparent loyalty that Connie retains to respect the spousal relationship, employing
Mrs.Bolton as Cliffords caregiver [frees Connie] from the responsibility of caring for Clifford,
[and] Connies physical and psychological health begin to improve. In her walks in the woods,
she seems inexorably drawn to the gamekeeper, Mellors (Lady Chatterleys Lover 120). From
this, Lawrence exemplifies the possibility of marriage being an obstacle rather than a gift;
Connie, notwithstanding the presence of her spouse, paradoxically feels lonely and the need to
find another man for love, for someone to embrace her back. And thus, although her legal status
as a married wife to Clifford impedes the final getaway with Mellors, Connie still truly loves
him, which gives her courage to leave her spouse forever.
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LOVE IN ITS NATURAL FORM
Although D.H. Lawrence regards the various complex forms of love, he always refers
back to the origins of lovealluding to the barbaric and most instinctive actions of love that
human beings commit.
Mating as the Origin of Love. In Women in Love, Hermione, Birkins previous lover, asserts that
in the SPIRIT we are all one, all equal in the spirit, all brothers there the rest wouldnt
matter, there would be no more of this carping and envy and this struggle for power, which
destroys, only destroys (Women In Love 185). Her statement directly goes against the natural
law of evolutionDarwins theory of competitionthat conflict occurs to destroy, to win over,
to become the strongest. Birkin, the male in the scene, argues that It is just the opposite, just
the contrary, Hermione. We are all different and unequal in spirit it is only the social
differences that are based on accidental material conditions, hinting that the social differences do
include gender differences, and thus, that men and women are different (Women In Love 185).
Hermione, of course, is insulted by the rebuttal, yet Birkins assertion is better highlighted
throughout the novel.
Lawrence purportedly includes a scene with two Mino cats playing in flirtation, a male
cat bullying the female in the process of mating (Women in Love 267). Seeing this, Ursula
resents the male cats continuous violence, defending the female masses in an indisputable,
natural situation. Love, or more certainly, the origin of love, is carried on through this male
dominance, the patriarch of a population of organisms. Lawrence clearly defends this, though
ironically ostracizing Walter Morel, the father, in Sons and Lovers.
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In a discussion between Gerald and Gudrun, both notice a rabbit running around madly
and then suddenly finding his calm to chew the grass. When Gudrun assures that humans are not
rabbits, Gerald questions Not rabbits? implying the wildness of human beings that mirror
such madness of a rabbit. Although Lawrence leaves a mysterious blank to this rhetorical
question, Geralds inquiry demonstrates that people are, in fact, still occupy a savageness of our
ancestors. And thus, human beings follow their instinctsespecially in the sphere of sexuality.
A Forever Fondness for Maternal Love. As stated numerously, Lawrence deals with the
unconventional yet odd emotion between a son and a mother, unclear of whether maternal love
can be so extensive as to create envy towards the sons fianc. As touched upon, Sons and Lovers
mentions the Oedipus Complex, and the inappropriate relationship between Paul and Mrs.Morel.
Such idea repeats in Lady Chatterleys Lover, this time, between a caregiver and the caretaker.
After Mrs.Bolton is hired to assist Clifford due to his paralyzed legs that discomfort his
daily matters, not only is Connie more and more isolated both emotionally and physically from
her spouse, Clifford Chatterley himself begins to become more and more of a child, dependent
on Mrs.Bolton like a newborn baby. Especially when Clifford hears the news of Connies desire
to get a divorce, Clifford[acts]like a hysterical child. He [gives] Mrs.Bolton a terrible
shock, sitting up in bed ghastly and blank (Lady Chatterleys Lover 290). He knew intrinsically
and instinctively that Connie would leave, yet his decision to pout was out of the returned
mentality of a child. His physical disabilities made Clifford mentally younger, and thus more
reliant on Mrs.Boltonthe closest source of a motherly love.


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CONCLUSION
The numerous descriptions of sex may suggest that Lawrence appraises promiscuity.
However, his ingenious literary skills create a sense that sex is merely a tool of lovea physical
attraction that is in the definition of love. Lawrence is further renown, moreover, not necessarily
because he includes such sensual writing, but because he utilizes the theme of love to understand
the boundaries and dimensions of it. Love, as we see it today, is in various forms, yet we are
never unsure how to categorize what feelings into what folders, whether what we feel is natural
in particular situations, whether, possibly, the sexual arousals we experience are part of true love
or simply an odd physical behavior. Although it is quite impossible to define love, Lawrence
clearly emphasizes that love is complex and could come out of places we never expect it to.












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Works Cited
Ara, Jasmin. "Short Biography of D.H. Lawrence." SahlEdu. SahlEdu, 19 July 2012. Web. 18
Sept. 2013.
Balbert, Peter. "From Panophilia to Phallophobia: Sublimation and Projection in D. H.
Lawrence's St. Mawr." Papers on Language & Literature 49.1. Questia School. Web. 27
Apr. 2014.
Balbert, Peter H., and Peter H. Balbert. "The Loving of Lady Chatterley: D. H. Lawrence and the
Phallic Imagination." D. H. Lawrence: The Man Who Lived. Ed. Robert B. Partlow, Jr.
and Harry T. Moore. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois UP, 1980. 143-58. Questia School.
Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Becket, Fiona. The Complete Critical Guide to D.H. Lawrence. London: Routledge, 2002.
Questia School. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Lawrence, D. H.. Lady Chatterley's lover. New York: Grove Press, 1959. Print.
Lawrence, D. H.. Sons and lovers. London: Penguin, 2012. Print.
Lawrence, D. H.. Women in love. New York: Viking Press, 1950. Print.



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Works Consulted
Adelman, Gary. Reclaiming D.H. Lawrence: Contemporary Writers Speak Out.
Ara, Jasmin. "Short Biography of D.H. Lawrence." SahlEdu. SahlEdu, 19 July 2012. Web. 18
Sept. 2013.
Balbert, Peter. "From Panophilia to Phallophobia: Sublimation and Projection in D. H.
Lawrence's St. Mawr." Papers on Language & Literature 49.1 Questia School. Web. 27
Apr. 2014.
Balbert, Peter H., and Peter H. Balbert. "The Loving of Lady Chatterley: D. H. Lawrence and the
Phallic Imagination." D. H. Lawrence: The Man Who Lived. Ed. Robert B. Partlow, Jr.
and Harry T. Moore. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois UP, 1980. 143-58. Questia School.
Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Becket, Fiona. The Complete Critical Guide to D.H. Lawrence. London: Routledge, 2002.
Questia School. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Black, Michael H. "Lawrence, D.H." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica Biographies, 1 Mar
2012. EBSCO. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Lawrence, D. H.. Lady Chatterley's lover. New York: Grove Press, 1959. Print.
Lawrence, D. H.. Sons and lovers. London: Penguin, 2012. Print.
Lawrence, D. H.. Women in love. New York: Viking Press, 1950. Print.
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Rubin, Martin. "D.H. Lawrence's poetic world." . Washington Times, 16 Aug. 2013. EBSCO.
Web. 20 Sept. 2013.