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1、On the Distortion of Pauls Love in Sons and LoversAbstract Sons and Lovers ,based very closely on David Herbert Lawrence s own life, tells a story of Paul Morel, a young man and budding artist, who is the son of the troubled union of an well-educated, upwardly mobile mother and an ill-tempered, unle
2、ttered coal miner father. The novel is always thought to be an autobiographical work of D.H.Lawrence. This paper mainly analyzes the authors controversial senses reflected on the main protagonist Paul in Sons and Lovers: Pauls distorted love which called Oedipus Complex on his relation with his moth
3、er Gertrude Morel and on his pure and tragic mental love with girl friend Miriam as well as sexual and single physical love with a married woman Clara. What caused Pauls inner conflicts is analyzed through mental and physical need from the aspects of his mining family, working-class life and the cha
4、otic environment. Industrialism lead Paul dream of living in a world of nature and freedom. The paper portrays the contradiction of body and soul mainly caused Pauls tragedy of love. In the end, Paul Key words: Sons and Lovers; David Herbert Lawrence; Oedipus Complex; love; IndustrialismOn the Disto
5、rtion of Pauls Love in Sons and LoversOutlineThesis Statement: In the capitalist industrialization, people were physically and mentally suppressed. D. H. Lawrence portrayed the conflicts between spirit and body, and demonstrated strong focus on personalities and inner emotions. This dissertation mai
6、nly describes ill, complicated, distorted relationships between Paul and three women with different character. The contradiction of body and soul mainly caused Pauls tragedy of love. Introduction. The Oedipus Complex of PaulA. Brief Introduction of Oedipus ComplexB. Development of Pauls Love for His
7、 MotherC. The Reason for the Distorted Maternal Love. The Spiritual Love Between Paul and Miriam A. Development of Pauls Love with Miriam B. The Reason for the Unsuccessful Mental Love: Religion. The Sexual Love Between Paul and Clara A. Development of Pauls Love with Clara B. The Reason for the Fai
8、lure in Physical Love: the Collision Between Affection and Lust. Tragic Result of Distorted Love. Conclusion On the Distortion of Pauls Love in Sons and LoversI. A Brief IntroductionA. The AuthorDavid Herbert Richards LawrenceDavid Herbert Lawrence was born in 1885 in Nottinghamshire, an English nov
9、elist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. He was one of the most original and controversial English writers of the 20th century and considered as one of the “makes” of modern English fiction. His collected works represent an extended reflection u
10、pon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialization. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, and instinct.Lawrence take human relationship, especially that of men and women, as his major theme. His novels are full of scenes of sensuous b
11、eauty, with a lot of naturalistic details.Lawrences life time was short, but he left a lot of controversial and characteristic literary works. There are many descriptions of undisguised sexual activities in his works which are based on English native country, but its main intention is to express a k
12、een criticism of society and both The Rainbow and Lady Chatterleys Lover were banned during his lifetime. This controversial treatment of sex is evident as well in Sons and Lovers; Lawrences fear of negative public opinion may have been one reason for his vague use of language and the obscure treatm
13、ent of sex in the novel. Till now Lawrence is valued by many as a visionary thinker and crucial representative of modernism in English literatureB. The Story of Sons and LoversIn the beginning of fiction focuses on the scene of Mrs. Moral meets a rough-temperament miner at a Christmas dance and fall
14、s into a whirlwind romance characterized by physical passion. Because live in the different class, soon after marriage to Walter Morel, she realizes the difficulties of living off his salary in a rented house. So that she has many arguments with her husband, some of which have painful results: on se
15、parate occasions, she is locked out of the house and hit in the head with a drawer. Character decides destiny, the differences of Moral couples personality result in the fight at last. Mrs. Moral is haughty, strong and possessive and decisive; but as Mr. Moral is opening, cheerful, energetic and pas
16、sionate to the society. Weaknesses in the character are bound to his failure. In front of his wife, he turns timid, and suppresses own anger, helpless to endure his wifes despise. Only in drunk, he will turn to the strongest and most vulgar way to vent his dissatisfaction, however after sobering up,
17、 he would shame for his actions. From beginning to end, he cant correctly face wife. Finally, Mrs. Moral abandoned her husband completely from the spiritual level. On the one hand, she tried to defeat her husbands gumption and make him down to a more humble position; On the other hand, when a child
18、born in succession, Mrs. Moral transfers all love to her children and seek spiritual comfort and satisfaction from them. Gradually, Mrs. Morels affections begin to shift to her oldest son., William who is so attached to his mother that he doesnt care for the affair without her. As he becomes mature,
19、 he protests her against his fathers occasional violence. But When William goes to London for a job, Mrs. Morel is devastated. William comes home, bringing with his fiancee, a young lady who treats the Morels like servants. Having spent too much time at work and with his fiancee, William catches pne
20、umonia and dies. After William s death, Mrs. Morel turns her love and attention to Paul. Paul, is always sensitive and emotional, gets a job at Thomas Jordans, a surgical applicants factory and strikes a friendship with Miriam Leviers. Mrs. Morel does not like Miriam because in her view Miriam takes
21、 all of Pauls energy, desire, and feelings with nothing left of him for her. Miriam introduces Paul to Clara Dawes, whose mother is friendly with Mrs. Leviers and who is separated from her husband, Baxter Dawes. After Paul and Miriam have sex, he makes up his mind that they are not good for each oth
22、er, and breaks off their relationship, to Miriams anger and bitterness. Paul heads into an intensely sexual relationship with Clara. Miriam speculates that the Morels have accepted Clara as Pauls lover as they have not liked her at all. Paul and Clara share a passionate, sexual relationship. As much
23、 as Paul thinks that he is happy, his mother believes otherwise; she knows in her heart that Clara will tire her son out. However, but when Clara knows that Dawes is ill, Clara unexpectedly alleges that her husband had treated her respectfully and had loved her more than Paul ever did, so that Clara
24、 decides to return back to Dawes. In the end, Pauls mother falls ill and he devotes much of his time to caring for her. When she finally dies, he is broken-hearted and, after a final plea from Miriam, goes off alone at the end of the novel. The Oedipus Complex of Paul A. Brief Introduction of Oedipu
25、s ComplexOedipus complex is a term in psychoanalytic theory founded by Sigmund Freud, Austria psychologist and psychiatrist.1 This concept is introduced in Interpretation of Dreams (1899): referring to the two Greek legends: the Theban hero Oedipus who unknowingly slew his father and married his mot
26、her, and its female analogue, Electra who helped slay her mother. If the child cant smoothly pass through this mental stage, there should occur an infantile neurosis that is an important forerunner of similar reactions during the childs adult life. The superego also has its origin in the process of
27、overcoming the Oedipus complex. Freud considered the reactions against the Oedipus Complex the most important social achievements of the human mind.2Oedipus complex is the basic concept of Freuds psychological analysis, occupies the important position in the psychoanalysis, exerts an enormous influe
28、nce on literature. Until today, this influence still exists.B. Development of Pauls Love for His MotherPaul was a pale, quiet child. As a rule he seemed old for his years. He was so conscious of what other people felt, particularly his mother. When she fretted he understood, and could have no peace.
29、 His soul seemed always attentive to her. 3 Paul is more delicate, weak, quiet and looks more mature than other children at the same age. From Pauls growing experience, Mrs. Moral controls all of Pauls emotion and affection, dominates the soul of Pauls spirit, and let him surround by the deformity o
30、f maternal love, resulting in losing the ability to love. Paul accepts mothers abnormal love since childhood, and also positively responses to the ill love, even gradually develops into the emotional attachment, so that Oedipus complex comes out. In the childhood, the relationship between Paul and h
31、is mother is not only with a delicate, rich, sensitive kinship but also full of romantic love. He is naturally sensitive, and can easily understand mothers troubles. It seems like his whole soul is always attached to her, and mothers joy and pain hover in his mind at every moment. Paul possesses a k
32、ind of responsibility and ambition as long as seeing Mrs. Moral because of love, nor does his father. When Paul was a child, he had a strong personal faith: he prays every night let him (father) no longer drinking, god let him go to die, let him die in fire. Pauls love between mother and father beco
33、mes a sharp contrast. In Paul opinion, father is his rival in love. Therefore, in his heart of hearts, he hopes his father died. He always believed that his father not only torture his mother through the language but also damage her through the body. It all comes down to fathers intemperance. Theref
34、ore, he prays god to let his father stop drinking, wishes he die due to no longer drinking, and then he can completely takes possession of his mother, so as to make her happy and realize her goal in life. From which we can see Pauls Oedipus complex has first emerged in the childhood. According to Fr
35、euds notion, under normal circumstances, the boys Oedipus complex exists only in subconscious without his own awareness, recognition and affirmation, and also wont execute consciously.C. The Reason for the Distorted Maternal LoveThere are three factors result in Pauls Oedipus Complex:1. The Influenc
36、e of His Mother In Sons and Lovers, Gertrude, is not only a remarkable literate woman but also a certain wise housewife. Because of the difference in character, culture, interest and so on, the affection between couples appears serious crisis, and their marriage already exist in name only. So that,
37、Mrs.Moral pours her love to the sons, especially Paul, to fill the emotional vacuum. Mothers devotion gives young Paul a single hearted home. The abnormal relationship between Mrs. Morel and Paul makes him not find out a suitable lover. His love completely belongs to his mother. Paul also understand
38、s he actually plays a husbands role for the mother. It eliminates the possibility of falling in love with other women. For example, in the novel, the mother calls the son “my love”, the son calls the mother “little pigeon”. She is the only thing that holds him up. They interdependence with each othe
39、r. They bear the happiness and the suffering of the life.2. The Influence of His fatherAs a master of the house, Mr.Moral is the miner from the bottom of society. He had not received education and always speaks the dialect, so that he has no ability to easily communicate with wife and children throu
40、gh spiritual soul. He is definitely isolated by family members. He often picks up a fist and shout at Mrs.Moral. “He came up to her, his red face, with its bloodshot eyes, thrust forward, and gripped her arms. She cried in fear of him, struggled to be free. Coming slightly to himself, panting, he pu
41、shed her roughly to the outer door, and thrust her forth, slotting the bolt behind her with a bang.”4 So far as Paul was concerned, the fathers ideal image does not exist. His resentment to Moral is overwhelming. Due to mothers superior culture makes fathers rude savage appears that Paul depends on
42、her mother completely.3. The Influence of the Society Heathy mental state must be based on the healthy way of life and social system. In Sons and Lovers, the emotional development between Paul and his mother is caused not only by family factor, but also by the social aspect. The phenomenon of distor
43、ted natural affection can cast back the whole living environment and the social atmosphere of that time. In this novel, peoples contradiction, conflict and dis-satisfaction are actually a chain of reaction. The capitalism industrialization system deprives Walter Morel of the educational right, compe
44、ls him to be occupied in the hard labor. His ignorance, vulgarity and poverty, results in the family members disdain and scorn, arouses the home conflict. Due to the familial entanglement and living in misery, Mrs. Morel takes spirit pole toward her sons. The sons become her spirit support and they
45、depend on their mother. The abnormal maternal love hinders the sons healthy spiritual growth. Their adversity aggravates the mothers pain. The expansion of Industrial Revolution and Capitalism not only destroy the beautiful natural environment, but also limit human visual field and shrink human esse
46、ntiality. Mr. Morels truculence, Mrs. Morels abnormal love and Pauls Oedipus complex are caused by them. . The Spiritual Love Between Paul and MiriamA. Development of Pauls Love with Miriam Being the same as Gertrude Moral, Miriam also shows high aspiration by means of her anxiety for art. Miriam is
47、 not only an intellectual, but also fills with the self-confidence and the independent spirit.She is longing for knowledge and takes knowledge as the only access to change her social position and to establish her self-confidence and self-respect. As Pauls intimate friend in art, she shows great enth
48、usiasm to Pauls painting.She kindles him and makes him glow to his works. Her ability to serve Paul in this aspect is greatly owing to her enthusiasm for art. It is the first time that Paul fell in love with a girl - Miriam.Miriam is a shy, sensitive, devoted and romantic girl who is piously and sincerely believes in religious God. Her love to Paul is pure, passionate a
