Theme of Oedipus Complex
Use of Symbols
Autobiographical elements
D.H.Lawrence was
considered a maverick when a series of novels- The White Peacock (1911),
The Trespasser (1912), Sons and Lovers (1913), The Plumed Serpent (1926)
and Lady Chatterly’s Lover (1929) written by him were published.
He used the medium of novel as a vehicle for communicating his own vision of
life. As a fiction writer he exhibited his genius but it was his prophetic
vision that really created waves in the world. One of the most disputed men of
genius in the history of modern English novel has been excessively praised as
well as excessively abused. Eminent critics like T.S.Eliot have condemned him
as an uncultured man insensitive to social morality. But, many of them in
recent times have defended him against the charges of immorality.
Sons and Lovers
is an autobiographical novel, as autobiographical as Arnold Bennett’s Clayhanger
and the first half of Charles Dickens David Copperfield. The major characters of the present novel are
closely modelled after their originals; major events have been transcribed
straight from their life. Not only did the characters resembling Paul, Miriam,
Clara and Gertrude (Mrs. Morrel) exist in real life, but also the places and
the incidents. Bestwood in the novel is actually Eastwood, the village where
Lawrence was born. However, his work is not an autobiography.
The theme in Sons
and Lovers is man-woman relationship. Through the exploration of
various kinds of relationships Lawrence is trying to determine what destroys
and what promotes the mutual harmony of man and woman thrown together through
love or marriage. The economic factors and more importantly psychological
factors play a major role in the married life of Mrs. & Mr. Morrel. She
tries to control him by imposing her own ideals on him; the poor man breaks in
the process. Lawrence states,
His nature was purely
sensuous and she tried to make him moral, religious. She tried to pace him to
face things. He could not endure it…it drove him out of his mind.
Lawrence also focuses
on Mrs. Morrel’s relationship with her sons. She lavishes on them
the love that legitimately belonged to her husband. Thus, she hinders the
independent growth of their emotional life. Both, William and Paul suffer from
Oedipus Complex. This unnatural bond gave harmful effects. William dies and
Paul cannot strike healthy emotional relationship with other females. Lawrence
shows that Paul and Miriam relationship fails because she seemed far more
concerned with the state of Paul’s soul than with his flesh i.e. she offered
only spiritual communion. On the other hand Clara offers only her passion which
consumes him like a dry fire. But this relation also did not last long. With
this philosophy of religion and exaltation of sex Lawrence communicated
anti-materialism. According to him humanity has become materialistic, thus,
corrupting the will and personality.
Lawrence had little
respect for the form and technique of the novel. Infact he was a great ‘innovator’
(termed by David Daiches) as he broke new grounds so far as structure and
technique is concerned. He is an impressionistic novelist who does not bother
about tangible reality. He only aims at communicating the feel, the way it
relates to his consciousness. Interestingly when Paul is asked by Miriam about
one of his sketches, he replies,
It is mere shimmery, as
if I had painted the shimmering protoplasm in the leaves everywhere, and not
the stiffness of the shape…The shape is a dead crust.
Another feature is the
depiction of the background. Lawrence in Sons and Lovers
faithfully describes the mining activity in the village of Bestwood. His
presentation of the dialect used in Nottinghamshire village as spoken by
William Morrel is superb. Lawrence however, may not be a meticulous activist in
term of accuracy, grammar and words but he succeeds in conveying his feel of
life.
The novelist appeals to
us as a stylist. He makes clever use of symbols which are well integrated with
the narrative. The coal pits are not just coal pits. They are symbolic of a particular
way and attitude towards life. They symbolise the irrational life principles of
Walter Morrel. Miriam’s fear of being pecked by hen and her dread of the swing
is symbolic of her sexual inhibition. Further, an enormous orange moon is
symbolic of the passion in Paul for Miriam. The flower symbolism is woven into
the whole structure of the novel.
Therefore, thematically
as well as artistically Lawrence has succeeded in conveying his feelings for life.
Commendable literary notes.
ReplyDelete