Smothering love of a son (Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence)

Member Name: elbar1

Product:	Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence
Date:	11/08/08 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, excellent insight into working life

Disadvantages: Some characters freaked me out a little bit!

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence was his first major novel, written in 1913. It has some profoundly autobiographical elements to it, not least in the character of Mrs Morel, Paul Morel's protective and demanding mother.

The book is based in a very working-class community and some commentators believe it to be the first novel with this genuine working class backdrop.

The novel centres around Paul Morel, the younger son of an alcoholic wife-beating miner and a stubborn, hard-working mother. Their relationship is scrutinised in detail throughout the novel and you watch its slow demise. This is made all the more poignant by the occasional reference to how very passionate and in love the couple were when they first met.

It is important to understand the relationship between the parents, as it is this that shapes Paul Morel's attitude to women and life. Also, as Mrs Morel becomes more hostile to her husband and grows more isolated within their marriage, she seeks refuge in her son's life, wanting him with her every moment and wanting his constant attention. Paul becomes her saviour. She can achieve all those things she dreamt of through her youngest son. He is the answer to her unfulfilled ambitions.

There are a few moments in the novel where the tenderness between mother and son is quite overpowering and almost uncomfortable for the reader. Although there is never any mention of an improper relationship, at times, the intimacy can seem almost incestuous.

The most difficult part of the book is understanding some of the dialogue. This is particularly true when the father speaks in a strong dialect. For me, this made the parts of the book when he appeared too difficult to read and ruined by enjoyment of the book. It made me quite hostile to the father and I dreaded it when he appeared. However, this might well have been an intended literary mechanism to emphasise the hostility towards the father by the rest of the family and mirrors their sense of dread when he came home from work and disrupted their tranquility.

Paul has two relationships in the novel. One with a childhood friend and one with a modern city-type divorcee. Neither is successful, due in the main to his mother's direct interference and the fact that Paul feels such an obligation and love for his mother that no other woman can compete. He battles against his mother, as any child does who is so utterly controlled by a parent. He pulls away from her but then always goes back. The pages bear witness to the constant struggle in his mind.

When his mother becomes ill, where does Paul's obligations lie? What lengths will he go to for his mother? And most importantly, if the worst happens, what course will his life take without her?

This is a very well-written novel. It made me feel uncomfortable in parts, due to the close relationship between mother and son. Also, probably due to this relationship, I found it very hard to identify with any of the main characters in the novel. However, it kept me gripped throughout. It also paints a beautiful and accurate picture of rural working life in the early twentieth century. For many reasons, it is a book you must read. I enjoyed reading it, but, I am not sure I would say I enjoyed the storyline.

Summary: A good read. Well written. Not my favourite book but I'm glad I read it.