Evaluate the View That Sons and Lovers Contends That It Is Not Possible to Overcome the Legacies of Childhood and Adolescence.
Evaluate the view that Sons and Lovers contends that it is not possible to overcome the legacies of childhood and adolescence.
In D H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, the influence that one's childhood and adolescence have in determining the character of an individual is clearly evident. In the case of Paul Morel, the overbearing nature of his mother and the intense relationship between them impede his own romantic life, for he is unable to love another woman as much as he loves her. Moreover, his mother's initial lack of love for him, her own depression and the strained relationship between herself and Mr Morel have a negative impact on the child from a young age, permeating his adult life. However, his spiritual friendship with Miriam Leivers, together with a passionate sexual awakening through his relationship with Clara Dawes, show Paul Morel's struggle for emancipation. Although the novel does not see Paul succeed in fully overcoming such legacies, it nevertheless depicts his journey towards a sense of self- realisation and understanding. Unlike his elder brother William, who is defeated by the legacies of childhood and adolescence, Paul contests the constraints enforced upon him by his mother and begins to forge a life for himself. By the end of the novel, despite the anguish over his mother's death, Paul symbolically chooses to walk towards the “glowing town” rather than “to the darkness, to follow her”[1] indicating an attempt at abandonment of the legacies left by his early life. Although the impact of one's upbringing in shaping the character of an individual is unquestionably revealed, Sons and Lovers does not explicitly contend that is impossible to overcome the legacies of childhood and adolescence; rather it depicts the complexity of overcoming such obstacles which Paul embarks upon. The ambivalent ending of the novel suggests that Paul may be able to surmount the psychological effects of his past, but there is no definitive conclusion.
The
In D H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, the influence that one's childhood and adolescence have in determining the character of an individual is clearly evident. In the case of Paul Morel, the overbearing nature of his mother and the intense relationship between them impede his own romantic life, for he is unable to love another woman as much as he loves her. Moreover, his mother's initial lack of love for him, her own depression and the strained relationship between herself and Mr Morel have a negative impact on the child from a young age, permeating his adult life. However, his spiritual friendship with Miriam Leivers, together with a passionate sexual awakening through his relationship with Clara Dawes, show Paul Morel's struggle for emancipation. Although the novel does not see Paul succeed in fully overcoming such legacies, it nevertheless depicts his journey towards a sense of self- realisation and understanding. Unlike his elder brother William, who is defeated by the legacies of childhood and adolescence, Paul contests the constraints enforced upon him by his mother and begins to forge a life for himself. By the end of the novel, despite the anguish over his mother's death, Paul symbolically chooses to walk towards the “glowing town” rather than “to the darkness, to follow her”[1] indicating an attempt at abandonment of the legacies left by his early life. Although the impact of one's upbringing in shaping the character of an individual is unquestionably revealed, Sons and Lovers does not explicitly contend that is impossible to overcome the legacies of childhood and adolescence; rather it depicts the complexity of overcoming such obstacles which Paul embarks upon. The ambivalent ending of the novel suggests that Paul may be able to surmount the psychological effects of his past, but there is no definitive conclusion.
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