Topic > Father's Theme in Lawrence's "Sons and Lovers"

“Now I would write a different Sons and Lovers; my mother was wrong and I thought she was absolutely right. (Jeffers 296) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThis line betrays DH Lawrence's final realization about his maternal fixation. As a corollary, it may be implied that he regrets mistreating his father. However, critics argued that Lawrence was too hard on himself, perhaps failed to grasp the novel's relevance to a reader who did not share his personal associations, or that his genius had unconsciously made his work a 'objectivity that he thought. he failed to recognize himself. As Aruna Sitesh confirms, “Sympathy for Walter is widespread throughout the novel.” (494)In Walter Morel, one finds the plight of a naive man stuck in an incompatible marriage with a woman who possessed greater sensitivity than he. “What he felt at that moment was all up to him. . . . His nature was purely sensual and she strove to make him moral, religious. She tried to force him to face things. He couldn't stand it: it drove him crazy. Clearly, a situation mirrored in the subsequent Paul-Miriam relationship; but returning from the digression, Gertrude “was too much of her opposite. He couldn't settle for the little that could have been, he wanted it to be as much as it should have been. So, in an attempt to make it more noble than it could be, he destroyed it. (Lorenzo 18, 20) This distance continued to increase together with the children since the mother diverted her aspirations towards them (especially the eldest children), resulting in a marriage in which the transitory passion of youth had long since evaporated, the one that had he impulsively brought the mismatched couple together. As Thomas L. Jeffers explains: “It is an attraction of opposites – the pale civilized lady frightened but warmed by the ruddy native collier – highlighted in the too-brief but unforgettably vivid scene of the Christmas ball. Although passionately happy with him during the first months of their marriage, she soon decides that, since he has been less than honest about his tax status and has shown himself to be more fond of the pub than his company at home, he is no good, and her marriage was a mistake." (299)However, it is clear throughout the text that Walter continued to love Gertrude. He could not bear to see his position usurped by his children, yet he was helpless against his domineering wife. As a result, he consoles himself in the company of his fellow miners, “alleviating the boredom of their lives with alcohol.” (Murfin 472) Related to this is an interesting observation that the “masculine place is also distinctly feminine. . . it is the orifice of the earth in which the mines "die" every day and from which they "are born". This rippling “womb” – teeming with men, horses and mice – allowed Morel to incorporate the feminine side of himself.” An echo of this cathartic feeling is found in Lawrence's Nottingham and the Mining Countryside, where he states that the miners "knew each other practically naked, and with a curious intimacy, and the darkness and subterranean remoteness of the 'stall' pit", and the continuous presence of danger made the physical, instinctive and intuitive contact between men highly developed, a contact almost as close as touch.” (Jeffers 295, 296) At home, the alienated husband tried in vain to assert himself, provoking moments. brutal that further contributed to his estrangement. What compounds the tragedy is the fact that he lacked the sensitivity and awareness to understand the problemthe drawer to Gertrude, was overwhelmed by guilt and shame even though he did not express it, and the following lines describe his inner turmoil and his attempts at self-justification: "'It was his fault,' he said to himself. Nothing, however, could prevent his inner conscience from inflicting the punishment that ate away at his spirit like rust and which he could only alleviate by drinking.” (Lawrence 49) Thus followed his inevitable descent into alcoholism, which obviously further marginalized his. position On the other hand, the shrewd hypocritical wife was fully aware of the situation and simply gave up on her husband. “There was this stalemate of passion between them, and she was stronger.” to the sound of my footsteps." (Lawrence 49, 43) were nothing more than empty threats. She was aware of his tenderness and instinctive nature, and therefore, so to speak, she had an absolutely castrating power over him, something against which he tried to rebel but never succeeded. Therefore, to counter Walter, Gertrude presented herself as the victim, and in fact she was convinced of it. However, it is clear to the reader that individuals must shoulder the blame for each other. Of course, the real blame could be traced back to the 19th century English ethos, which led to "explicitly historical circumstances of maternal domination in Victorian and Edwardian families" coupled with moral constraints and notions of social decorum, which forced unhappy couples to persist in their marriage despite daily pain. Furthermore, as a material aspect, “the humiliating routine in the factory, mine or shop and the mother's dominance in the verbal education of the children had left the father with little to offer in conversation or story” (Jeffers 293, 293), making him a nominal breadwinner without any actual involvement. Because his wife and children would unconsciously see him only as the provider, and would therefore put up with him as if under compulsion. Eventually, everyone involved reconciled with the situation. In the Morels' case, Walter “no longer cared what the family thought or felt. . . . The family retreated, stood back and fell silent when he entered. But he no longer cared about his alienation." (Lawrence 49-50) As for Gertrude, “she was more tolerant because she loved him less. . . . by staying more apart from him, not feeling him so much a part of herself, but simply part of her circumstances, she didn't care much what he did, she could leave him alone. . . . autumn in a man's life. His wife was pushing him away, somewhat regretfully, but inexorably; abandoning it and now turning to children for love and life. From then on he was more or less a shell. And he almost agreed, as many men do, giving way to their children. (Lawrence 54) Therefore, while they were taken for granted in the family, Walter's lovable nature comes to the fore in his interactions with strangers, such as with his friends, either Gyp or Clara. Because the rift in the house was too great to mend, as reflected in Walter's dilemma when Paul fell ill: “The father waited undecided on the carpet for a moment or two. He felt his son didn't want him. (Lawrence 82) An inherent conflict is found in the father – a dichotomy of feelings, a paternal love that Walter was unable to express or realize, due to various inhibitions including notions of manliness – effectively creating a miserable situation. For measure, Walter resorted to annoying trifles, perhaps precisely so that the family would notice him. He abandoned all pretence and all education, and had naturally lost the charm of his youth; “He persists in his dirty and disgusting ways, just to assert his independence. They hated it. (Lawrence 129) Yet, at the end of.