RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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implies definitely the mother's sense of controlling her sons I
lives.
She will live for this and she will never make a step
backward. She will never give in. She will always treat her
sons as her properties, completely dependent on her.
In trying to make Paul's life enjoyable and to distract
him from his hard work, Mrs Morel invites him to go to Mr Leivers '
farm to visit his wife.
Here life traps Mrs Morel: at the farm,
Paul will meet Miriam Leivers — •the main rival of Mrs Morel's
love for her son.
Had the mother known that at Willey Farm her
son would first fall in love with another woman, and cease
exclusively loving her, she would never have had the thought of
taking Paul there.
But as she does not have any kind of premonition,
she takes Paul and, one may say "gives” him to Miriam.
It is easy to feel the deep love son and mother exchange
on the way to the Leivers' farm.
Their love seems to ignore their
different ages.
In fact Paul would never admit old age could
come to his mother: "'What do I want with a white-haired mother?'"
(p.153).
For him, the mother has always to look young, like a
sweetheart to whom he will ever give flowers and love:
'Here's a bit of newmown hay,' he said, then,
again, he brought her forget-me-nots. And, again,
his heart hurt with love, seeing her hands, used to
work, holding the little bunch of flowers he gave
her. She was perfectly happy (p.155).
At Willey Farm the first person they meet is Miriam who
looks shy in her dirty apron and resentful of the strangers.
Later on, while his mother is talking with Mrs Leivers, Paul
makes friends with the Leivers' children.
Miriam, at first,
establishes a distance between them.
She is not used to becoming
friends, especially with boys, for her brothers mistreat her.
They take her as somebody common.
She herself feels she is like