RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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as always, is not aware of Siegmund's feelings. Although the
couple is together in the boat to return home, they seem apart
from each other.
Siegmund locks himself up in introspection and
Lawrence supports the idea of death as the only possible solution
to the affair: "Already {Siegmund] felt detached from life.
He belonged to his destination. It is always so. We have no
share in the beauty that lies beyond us and our goal" (p.134).
In his thinking about the future Siegmund provides all the
possible excuses for not divorcing his wife. He is too much of
a conformist to face a new situation with Helena.
It is better
to escape from his problems through death than to face them. As
a consequence of his mood, he starts to reject Helena, maybe as
a way to make her feel released by his death.
For the first time
he permits himself to say something against Helena's authority.
She asks him to come with her in the morning to gather some
roses of Sharon. He says 'no' without justifying himself. Of
course she is displeased with his refusal, but she says nothing.
They separate. Siegmund goes home. There, his family takes
no notice of him as if he did not exist. Here there is a
parallel to Sons and Lovers again: the children all side with
the mother and Siegmund, like Walter Morel, is despised by his
family. The children condemn the father as soon as he leaves for
his room: "'The damned coward! Ain't he a rotten funker?'...
'Ne'er mind, Ma; we'll be all right to you'" (p.152). On the
following morning Siegmund is afraid to get up because of his
children. His cowardice does not allow him to face them. Even
his youngest daughter, a girl of five, frightens him. To face
her he must 'buy' her sympathy with chocolate.
She refuses him
anyway.
He goes to the bathroom and licks his shoulder which
tastes of salt.
His narcissism is so strong that he does not