sons andlovers.doc

The Reading Notes of Sons and Lovers张依依（班级：英语教育1班 学号：201007010540） Abstract: Lawrence is an original novelist, whose artistic achievement has been affirmed by many critics .Sons and lovers, the first of Lawrences important novels, is largely autobiographical .It is set in a coal-mining district and based on the authors early life.Through the analysis of Paul and Gertrude Morels character which shows that the influence of Freuds theory of psychoanalysis, especially that of the “Oedipus complex”. Key Words: Lawrence character Oedipus complexIntroductionLawrences third published novel, Sons and Lovers is one of the greatest novels in English literature. Lawrence is dissatisfied with the Western industrial civilization “for its cut-throat competitiveness and its encouragement to war, for its mechanical progress and diminution of individual creativeness, and for its intellectualism that dried up the springs of human vitality.”He advocated the principle of saving the decaying civilization through a rearrangement of personal relationships, especially a rearrangement of the rearrangement of the relationship between men and women .But this cannot be a correct way in solving social problems. “The proposition of sex in a gamekeepers cottage was not a valid solution to many peoples urgent problems.” Meantime, the probable influence on the young readers minds should also be carefully considered. So Lawrence attracts high attention from a great many readers and lots of researchers have analyzed this novel from different perspectives.In our daily life, Mother Fixation is a common phenomenon, even if many people do not want to mention it or they do not accept the definition of Mother Fixation. The son who has Mother Fixation is lack of his own thoughts and enterprising spirit because he believes that his mother is his sanctuary and sunshine that never declines. Even when he gets married, his mother is the only person he can rely on not other person. So when there is conflict in his mother and wife he will stand with his mother, go against his wife. As to the mother who has Mother Fixation lavishes her lover upon her son, she controls his behavior and thoughts that she wishes that her son will never go against her. The son is her everything that she is afraid of losing him. As in China, most of the family conflict cause between the mothers and the daughters-in-law. One of the most important reasons is to fight for the domination of the husbands or sons. Once the daughters-in-law come to the family, the mothers will have a sense of tension that the daughters-in-law will take their place to love or control their sons that they are losing their sons. Gradually, the mothers will do something difficult for the daughters-in-law and say something to slander them before their sons, and then the family conflict arouses and the tragedy appears. In order to create a happy life and a harmonious society, we should pay our attention to Mother Fixation and deal with it well because Mother Fixation is a kind of abnormal human beings love and we should pursue normal love.To sum up, different researches have different viewpoints and they analyze the story from the different perspectives, and all give fruitful materials. However there are few who ever have made a thorough study of the character depiction in the novel, therefore this thesis attempts to give a comprehensive analysis of the protagonist Paul and Gertrude Morels character so as to make a better understanding about this novel. 1. Paul Morel His father, Walter Morel, is a miner ；his mother ,better education than her husband and self consciously genteel ,fought all her married life to lift her children out of the working class .Paul Morel is aware from an early age of the struggle between his parents ；he is very much on his mothers side during his childhood ,resenting his fathers coarse and sometimes drunken behavior and allying himself with his mothers delicacy and refinement .After the death of an elder brother he becomes the centre of his mothers emotion life and plays in his own relation to her a loving and protective role .His mothers claims on him kept frustrating his relationships with girls . His life is a great conflict .Meanwhile Paul is earning enough money to give his mother the things her husband has failed to provide. After Mrs. Morel died, Paul is lost. He feels that his own life has ended with the death of his mother. His mothers death is too great a sorrow for Paul to cast off immediately .Finally, after a lengthy inner struggle, he is able to see that she would always be with him and that he do not need to die join her .With his new found courage he set out to make his own life anew.2. Mrs. MorelWhen Gertrude has married Walter Morel, he has been a handsome, dashing young man .But after a few years of marriage Walter Morel proves to be an irresponsible breadwinner and a drunkard, and Mrs. Morel hates for what he has once meant to her and for what he now is .Her only solace lays in her children .William, Annie, Paul, and Arthur, for she leans heavily upon them for companionship, lived in their happiness. .She is a good parent ；her children loved her. 3. Clare DawesClara Dawes is separated from her husband, Baxter Dawes .She is five years Pauls senior, but a beautiful women whose loveliness charms him .Although Clare became his mistress, she refuses to divorce her husband and marry Paul .Sometimes Paul wonders whether he could bring himself to marry if she is free .She is not what he wanted .His mother is the only women to whom he could turn for complete understanding and love ,for Miriam had tried and Clare maintained a barrier against him .Paul continues to devote much of his time and attention to making his mother happy . 4. MiriamAt sixteen Paul goes to visit some friend of Mrs. Morel. Fifteen-year-old Miriam is a strange girl, but her inner charm attracted Paul. Mrs. Morel, like many others, does not care for Miriam. Paul likes drawing .Miriam watches over his work and with quite understanding offered judgment concerning his success of failure. By the time Miriam and Paul have grown into their twenties, Paul realizes that Miriam loved him deeply and that he loved her. But for some reason he could not bring himself to touch her.After Mrs. Morel died ,Paul thought of Miriam ,to him he has once belonged He returned to her ,but with the renewed association he realizes more than ever that she is not what he wanted .Leaving Miriam for the last time ,he feels trapped and lost in his own indecision. But he also feels that he is free from Miriam after many years of passion and regret. ConclusionDuring his lifetime and even afterwards Lawrence is a controversial figure because of his