Sons And Lovers

Commentary 5

We can see the way the narrative perspective has shifted from that of Mrs. Morel to that of Paul through the way Mrs. Morel’s trip to the hospital is narrated. The narrator describes Mrs. Morel leaving for the hospital, and then he describes her returning; the events that happen outside of the house seem to be outside the narrative field of vision. However, this is not the case later in this chapter, when Paul goes to Nottingham to work. This suggests that Paul has become the primary focus of the narration.

This chapter contains further examples of the identification between Paul and Mrs. Morel: Paul comforts her, and talks to her every day. It seems as if their identification is extended to the point that they are sharing the same life, and this is a motif that will continue through the rest of the novel.

We also see further evidence of Mrs. Morel’s disappointment in William, her favorite, in this chapter. She has been previously disappointed in William when he takes up dancing, and here she is disappointed that he does not send them money. She also disapproves of the girl he is seeing and the pictures that she sends.

Commentary6

The title of the chapter foreshadows what will happen in the end of the chapter; however, the reader wonders throughout the chapter which member of the family will die. Since the first sentence of the chapter begins with Arthur, the reader might begin by suspecting that Arthur will die. It isn’t until William alludes to his death by saying that his fiancee would forget about him three months after he died that we begin to suspect that William will die. He makes many allusions to his death so that, by the time his mother gets the telegram from London that he is ill, the reader is hardly surprised.

After William dies, Mrs. Morel remains closed off from the world until Paul also falls ill. Lawrence uses an image of tulips to illustrate the bond forged between Paul and his mother as a result of his illness. Mr. Morel buys Paul a pot of tulips, and they flame in the window where Paul and his mother sit closely and contentedly.

In this chapter William follows in his mother’s footsteps of choosing a spouse who is very different from his corresponding parent. He tells his mother that his fiancee is neither serious nor thoughtful—the exact opposite of Mrs. Morel.

Commentary 7

This chapter presents the conflict between logic, represented by Mrs. Morel, and religion, represented by the Leivers. Paul feels simultaneously attracted and repelled by the fascinating and different tone of life at the Leivers’ farm,

Miriam’s unpleasant relationship with her brothers causes her to speculate on the fundamental differences between women and men. This may be an indication of the cruelty of her brothers or of Miriam’s sensitivity, rather than of some actual difference between all men and women.

This chapter begins to suggest that Paul needs some connection beyond what he shares with his mother. In his free time, Paul is a painter, and he still needs his mother to do his best work, as he tells her. But Miriam allows him to take his work to another level; she makes him feel an intensity he has never before experienced.

Miriam also seems to have some sense of this connection.

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