RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

CHAPTER II
THE PATTERN OF CONFLICT IN SONS AND LOVERS
Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence develops the story of a
post Victorian family in which domination is an important
characteristic.
The novel represents a microcosm of the society
of that time and its themes are continuing modern
preocupations.
The struggle for dominance in the Morel family
establishes the pattern of Lawrence's later novels since the
conflict in Sons and Lovers is qualified basically by the
strength of the mind (in his mother) against the body (in his
father).
The struggle is shown in terms of the mother's
rejection of the father exactly because of her superior mind.
This, as I shall show in this chapter, leads her to dominate the
whole family; and, in so doing, she makes her sons entirely
divided in themselves, and unable to achieve a balance in their
emotional lives.
soul and body.
They cannot find in love a communion between
Therefore, at the same time that the mother
destroys her own marriage, she helps to create in her sons,
especially in Paul, an enormous dependence on her and this fact
leads them to fail in their love lives.