Sons and Lovers by David Herbert Lawrence

             As a twentieth-century novelist, essayist, and poet, David Herbert Lawrence brought the subjects of sex, psychology, and religion to the forefront of literature. One of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century, Sons and Lovers, which Lawrence wrote in 1913, produces a sense of Bildungsroman1, where the novelist re-creates his own personal experiences through the protagonist in (Niven 115). Lawrence uses Paul Morel, the protagonist in Sons and Lovers, for this form of fiction. With his mother of critical importance, Lawrence uses Freud's Oedipus complex, creating many analyses for critics. Alfred Booth Kuttner states the Oedipus complex as: "the struggle of a man to emancipate himself from his maternal allegiance and to transfer his affections to a woman who stands outside the family circle" (277). Paul's compromising situations with Miriam Leivers and Clara Dawes, as well as the death of his mother, display the Oedipus complex throughout Sons and Lovers. At an adolescent age, Paul's oedipal love towards his mother is compromised by a young lady named Miriam Leivers. This profound situation puts Paul to the emotional test of Oedipal versus physical love. As Kuttner goes on to state: "Paul's admiration for his mother knows no bounds; her presence is always absorbing. Often at the sight of her, 'his heart contracts with love'" (278). Paul's maternal relationship defines the Oedipus complex. Miriam pulls Paul away from his mother, while Paul's mother, Gertrude, sees Miram as a threat to her son. Paul, even though Miram is around, still will not commit totally to her because of the strong ties between mother and son. Paul says to his mother, "I'll never marry while I've got you – I won't..." (Lawrence 240).
             Lawrence wrote frequently of Paul's love belonging to his mother and only his mother (212). Though Miriam Leivers could not truly find Paul's heart, another woman named Clara Dawes provides more stress on Paul's matern...

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Sons and Lovers by David Herbert Lawrence. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:53, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/51838.html