RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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has a gun), unable to do anything.
He is stronger than she is,
and her behaviour is that of a hypnotized animal, unable to move,
to escape.
It seems that he is stronger in terms of some subtle
will power, not in terms of explicit strength.
This is perhaps
why March is paralyzed.
All she can do is to hide herself as a
way to get rid of the influence this ’boy' has on her:
March appeared in the doorway, took her [tea] cup,
and sat down in a corner, as far from the light
as possible... She shrank and shrank, trying not
to be seen. And the youth sprawling low on the
couch, glanced up at her, with long steady,
penetrating looks, till she was almost ready to
disappear... Her desire to be invisible was so
strong that it quite baffled the youth. He felt
he could not see her distinctly. She seemed like
a shadow within the shadow. And ever his eyes
came back to her, searching, unremitting, with
unconscious fixed attention (pp.95-6).
Thus, during this first contact with Henry Grenfel, March tries
to be hidden from him (even though his eyes are always placing
him in an inferior position).
But despite March's desire to be
hidden from Henry, she in fact draws his attention to her.
tries to look for her in the dark, so as to dominate her.
He
Now,
there is no need to talk.
The intensity of the meeting has
transformed them both into animals which act instinctively
without any need to be seen.
And as I said, March is in a kind
of female "heat", which is proved by the atmosphere between
Henry and March.
She has become the female animal and he is
identified with the fox.
As two animals therefore, they (or at
least he) can be seen as liberating a characteristic smell which
can be recognized only by themselves.
This implies that they
are ready to mate:
He was identified with the fox - and he was here
in full presence. She need not go after him any
more. There in the shadow of her corner she gave
herself up to a warm, relaxed peace, almost like
sleep, accepting the spell that was on her. But
she wished to remain hidden... Hidden in the