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Relationships In D. H. Lawrence's Sons And Lovers

Decent Essays
D.H. Lawrence 's novel Sons and Lovers explores the significant family and companionate relationships of early adulthood. Unfortunately, and possibly unbeknownst to Lawrence himself, the relationships in the novel are often abusive, triangulated, and otherwise inappropriate. Many of these distorted connections may stem from the unconscious and cyclical perceptions of love by the characters. In D.H. Lawrence 's novel, Sons and Lovers, each character 's view of love is shaped by observing his parents ' relationship, causing Mrs. Morel and her sons to perceive love as domination over another person.

Gertrude 's ill-treatment of her husband and intense passion for her children originate from observing her own parent 's relationship. Even
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When William first gets sick, the doctor describes the illness as "pneumonia, and, he said, a peculiar erysipelas, [a skin disease], which had started under the chin where the collar chafed, and was spreading over the face" . The fact that William 's illness targeted his lungs and the area around his throat alludes to death by strangulation, as he is pulled between his domineering mother and a fiancé whom he wants to be able to love. Mrs. Morel mourns for her son, unaware of her role in his demise, and she continues to perpetuate her love as dominance cycle with Paul.

Mrs. Morel imposes upon Paul 's relationship with Miriam. Gertrude constantly tells Paul how "common" Miriam is, and waits up late for him, like his wife, when he stays out late with Miriam, trying to make him feel guilty. Paul even realizes at the end of the novel that his mother has been the root of his failed relationships, and he asserts that " 'I shall never meet the right woman while you live '". Paul 's only means of freeing himself from his mother 's dominance is to kill her, another dominating act disguised as love, following Gertrude 's path.

The two sons that Gertrude most loved and dominated also seem to feel that domination is true love, thereby following in Gertrude 's footsteps, both sons abusing their lovers. William as a child emits some of the same sentiments as his mother when she was young.
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