'Sons and Lovers' - an autobio graphical account of Lawrence's early life

Dr Senarath Tennakoon

D H Lawrence (1885-1930) was a son of a miner born at Eastwood, Notinghamshire as the youngest son of a family of four. From childhood Lawrence was a sick person and his education was interrupted because of ill health.

Soon after High School he became a clerk just for two years. But he wanted to be a teacher and joined the University College where he was placed first in All England and Wales Uncertified Teachers' Examination.

He wrote his first novel 'The White Peacock' in 1911 while he was teaching in Crydon. When he was becoming established as a writer his mother to whom he was so devoted passed away in 1910. After eighteen months of her death Lawrence fell in love with Frieda Weekly who was already married to professor Weekly at Nottingham. In 1912 he went to Germany with her as she was a member of the distinguished German Von Rochtofen family. They married in 1914. During the war years Frieda was suspected of being a German spy. In 1919 Lawrence and Frieda began to travel extensively - Europe, Australia and America. They spent a considerable period of their life in New Mexico. Lawrence was a prolific writer of poems, short stories and essays during these travelling years. As his lungs were becoming sick with tuberculosis he had to return to Europe in 1929. He passed away in Venice on March 2, 1930.

Lawrence's novels like 'The Rainbow' (1915) and 'Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) were banned for obscenity: 'The Rainbow' (1915) and 'Woman in Love' (1920) stress the contrasts between nature and machine civilization, between the freedom of instinct and the control of will (Gaskell, 1998) His other novels were: The Trespasser (1912), The Lost Girl (1920), Aaron's Rod (1922), Kangaroo (1923), The Boy in the Bush (1924 with M L Skinner), St Mawr and the Princess (1925), The Plumed Serpent (1926), Sun (1926), The Escaped Cook (1926) and The Virgin and the Gypsy (1930).. Lawrence was also a short story writer and a poet who used free verse successfully. He also wrote a few plays and travel books. He was also a painter.

In 'Sons and Lovers' the background to the novel is set in the mining village of Bentwood (Eastwood) in Nottinghamshire, England during the period covered by the first twenty five years of Lawrence's early life (1885-1910). The setting is closely related to the characters, the themes and actions. Paul Morel is the central character and closely represents Lawrence. Mrs Morel is his mother who takes her function as her sole duty to look after the children and prevent them from joining the mining village community. Paul is the youngest of the family of four. His father is a miner who drinks heavily and neglects family responsibilities and at times he is violent after drinks. The evils of this community are presented in the novel in an impressive manner. Further the intimate relationship between the mother and the son is closely examined by Lawrence at a personal level. This relationship becomes an impediment to the love and sexual relationship of the son with his chosen lovers.

(Miriam and Clare) In particular Mrs Morel shifts her affection to Paul after the death of Paul's elder brother William from an attack of pneumonia. Paul also contacts pneumonia but Mrs Morel nurses him affectionately and he recovers. Mrs Morel disliked Miriam although she introduced her to Paul. Miriam is highly spiritual and impractical. Although Paul loved her, he was not satisfied with her spiritual love alone. It was Miriam who introduces her friend Clare to Paul who is a firm believer of women's rights but living separated from her husband. Paul begins to love Clare and decides to break with Miriam. But one night Clare's husband attacks Paul. Paul is looked after and nursed back to good health by his mother (Mrs Morel). Lawrence describes the countryside where Miriam lives (Willey Farm) which contrasts the urban society where Clare lives. The river that flows through the city of Nottingham symbolizes the passion of Clare and Paul. Towards the end of the plot Mrs Morel falls ill and she is nursed by Paul and Anne (Paul's sister). She suffers a protracted illness and Lawrence describes her decline in health in depth and in detail. Ultimately Anne and Paul decide to give her an overdose of morphine. After his mother's death Paul is thoroughly depressed. He tries to join his old love, Miriam but realizes that it is not a suitable match. In fact he contemplates on taking his life and join the mother. But finally he decides to hold on to life at whatever the cost...

The novel is divided into several chapters with chapter headings. But each chapter is open-ended. The entire work can be examined under two sections. In the first section Lawrence describes the Morel family with focus on Mrs Morel, Paul and William making way for William's death and Paul's serious illness. In the second section the reader is drawn towards the love affair between Paul and Miriam. But Paul rejects Miriam mainly because of his mother's illness and he getting involved with Clare. But Paul has to give up Clare as her husband beats him. Mrs Morel's illness is described and she dies. The effect of Mrs Morel's death upon Paul is described.

'Sons and Lovers' is written in the third person. Lawrence's style is characterized by repetition, metaphor, personification and variety of style. His irony is direct and obvious. It has been said that 'Sons and Lovers' style is mood and scattered throughout the novel are Biblical cadences indicating the influence of the Bible upon Lawrence.

Of the characters Paul is remarkably distinct. He from childhood has been fondled and loved by his mother. Paul owes much to Apostle Paul. Paul's childhood is marked with incidents that demonstrate the love between the mother and the son. Particularly during the grave illness of Paul this affection has been highlighted. In every crisis in his life his mother is there to help and console him. Mrs Morel is presented as a brave and religious lady who sacrificed her entire life for the family welfare as her husband was a drunkard. She wanted her children to do well and shine above those in the mining community.

Her first focus of attention was the first son William and especially after his early death she shifted her concern to Paul. Very little could be said of Walter Morel who had no ambition in life. He kept company with his drinking mining friends and neglected his family responsibilities. About Miriam, Lawrence has written "She was ruddy and beautiful. Yet her soul seemed to be intensely supplicating." She was a deeply religious girl who disbelieved in the physical pleasures of love. Although Paul and Miriam knew for many years she could not understand the emotional requirements of Paul. Clare is described by Lawrence as "perfectly amiable but indifferent and rather hard." Clare is an arresting character, physically attractive, positive, her outward aggressiveness or aloofness concealing a deep-rooted insecurity; but she has fine understanding moments, and a sure insight into human nature (Handley, 1990)

In Sons and lovers too Lawrence deals with the subconscious. His fiction focuses on the sexual impulse of man. The main theme of Sons and Lovers is pivoted on the love of Paul for his mother and vice versa.

The other theme is the attraction and repulsion in love matters as exemplified in the love relations of Paul between two different women; Miriam and Clara respectively. Lawrence's psychological insight and the lyrical poetic style of his writing make Sons and Lovers a great landmark in modern autobiographical fiction.