Sons and Lovers

characters in What Maisie Knew each have a special meaning. They all seem

to be interwoven with one another portraying a new cycle in another

characters life. For instance, in What Maisie Knew Mrs. Wix was introduced,

in my opinion, at a time when Maisie needed a mother figure. Also, Sir

Claude is introduced when she seems to need a father figure. On the other

hand, in Sons and Lovers there are not very many new characters introduced.

However, the ones that are introduced seem to want to try and break the

bond that Paul and his mother have. Thus, James and Law rence seem to be

using similar themes with different surroundings and events. Although the

circumstances are different, Henry James and D. H. Lawrence characterize

Henry James in his novel What Maisie Knew , portrays the main

character, Maisie, as being impoverished emotionally. The emotional

poverty that Maisie experiences in her life exist because of her parents

extremely vicious hatred for each other. They use Maisie as a “vessel for

bitterness” (13). To Beale and Ida, Maisie was just a tool that they used

to hurt the other person. Eventually, Maisie

. . .
They act more as lovers than they do

mother and son.

Furthermore, on the rare occasions when Maisie's mother embraced her it was

performed without any affection, or it is so convulsive that it makes her

feel as though “she had suddenly been thrust, with a smash of glass, into a

jeweller's shop-front. Consequently,

Maisie's fate is sealed. For example, He is in love with Miriam, but, in my

opinion , he feels that she cannot fufill him like his mother does.

In conclusion, The characters are in an emotional poverty caused by

their parents inability to recognize that what they are doing is hurting

their children emotionally. Dawes, however it seems to be more

sexual and he helps her get back together with her husband. As a result, Maisie seldom

experienced any meaningful affection from either of her parents. Likewise, Maisie's father

subjects her to emotional neglect by reminding her that everything had “

changed on her account, everything ordered to enable him to give himself up

to her. Morel tells

Paul that she “never really had a husband. This, in my opinion, was Beales way of telling Maisie that

she was a bother to him, thus, she is unconsciously informed that she is

not wanted. The emotional poverty that Maisie lives with makes her feel

that her parents made “it hurt more than usual” (17). Consequently, this mental action of being a

husband to his mother, destroys any emotional relationships Paul tries to

have with other women. He will be destin to live a life of

emotional poverty until his mother dies. The moral sense is the conscious which is

reflected through Maisie and Paul.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 890
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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