ANALYSIS OF PAUL’S OEDIPUS COMPLEX IN SONS AND LOVERS.doc

ANALYSIS OF PAULS OEDIPUS COMPLEX IN SONS AND LOVERS by Hu JunjieJune, 2007 Xiaogan UniversityAbstractD.H. Lawrence is one of the greatest English novelists of the 20th century. During his life-long literary career, he had written more than ten novels and several volumes of short stories. Besides being a great novelist, he is also a poet, a combative essayist, an atmospheric travel-writer, and prolific literary correspondent. His true greatness lies in his novels，on which his reputation rests.His Sons and Lovers is considered as one of the most innovative novels of the twentieth century. In the book, the extremely emotions given by the protagonist Paul to his mother is a brilliant illustration of Doctor Freuds psychological theory of Oedipus complex. There are six parts in the paper. The first part is an introduction. It gives a brief introduction to the author and his works, especially his Sons and Lovers. The second part serves as a general review of Freuds Oedipus complex. The main body includes the third and fourth parts, where Pauls Oedipus complex and its reasons are analyzed materialistically and objectively. The following part intends to show how Lawrences life experience especially his marriage experience and the present social background influence his characterization of Paul and the meaning of the character, Paul. The last part is the conclusion of this paper. Key Words: Sons and Lovers; Oedipus complex; abnormal maternity; industrial civilization 儿子与情人中保罗的恋母情结分析摘要劳伦斯是20世纪英国最伟大的小说家之一。他在一生的文学生涯中，创作出了十多篇小说以及若干短篇故事。他不仅是诗人小说家，同时也是散文家多产的记者和大气旅行作家。他的名气主要体现在他小说的写作上。劳伦斯的儿子与情人被誉为20世纪最具创新精神的长篇小说之一。在作品中，主人公保罗对其母亲挚热的感情，符合弗洛伊德心理学中的“俄狄浦斯情结”的症状。本文共有六大部分。第一部分是对劳伦斯及其作品的介绍，尤其是其儿子与情人。第二部分是对弗洛伊德心理学理论中的“俄狄浦斯情结”的介绍。主要部分是第三四两个部分，在这两部分中，对保罗的恋母情结及其产生原因作了唯物的客观的分析。在接下来的一部分，从劳伦斯自身的生活经历尤其是他的婚姻感情经历出发，结合当时的社会历史背景，不难看出劳伦斯塑造保罗这一人物的目的与意义，即对造成人性扭曲和人物悲剧的机器大工业文明的批判。最后一个部分是对本文的总结。关键词：儿子与情人； 恋母情结； 畸形母爱；工业文明Contents1. Introduction11.1 About D.H. Lawrence11.2 About Sons and Lovers12. A general review of Oedipus Complex13. Pauls Oedipus Complex3 3.1 The emotions between Paul and his mother3 3.2 The conflicts between Paul and his mother4 4. The factors caused Pauls Oedipus Complex4 4.1 Mothers abnormal maternity54.2 The other family members and Paul6 4.3 The social effects on Paul7 5. The reasons of Lawrences characterization of Paul75.1 Family background and life of Lawrence75.2 The meaning of the character, Paul 86. Conclusion9Notes10Bibliography11Acknowledgements12Analysis of Pauls Oedipus Complex in Sons and Lovers 1. Introduction1.1 About D.H. LawrenceD. H. Lawrence, is one of the most original and controversial English writers of the 20th century. He was considered one of the “makes” of modern English fiction. Lawrence took human relationship, especially that of men and women, as his major theme. His novels are full of scenes of sensuous beauty, with a lot of naturalistic details. His works turned out to be a challenge to conventional morality. And some people rejected them, especially Lady Chatterleys Lover (1928), as pornographic. But his books are filled with ideas and they penetrate into the shadows of the human psyche. In his works, Lawrence showed the instinctual force in human nature and offered a critique of modern industrial society. Lawrences life time was short, but he left a lot of controversial and characteristic literary works. There are many discription of undisguised sexual activities in his works which are based on English native country, but its main intention is to express a keen criticism of society. Both social criticism and characters psychological exploration are the basic characteristics of Lawrences works.His first novel was Sons and Lovers (1913). His other enduring works are the Rainbow (1915), Women in Love (1920), The Lost Girl (1920), and so on, and the book that brought him his ill-fame was, of course, Lady Chatterleys Lover. Up to now, there are many scholars who study his works, especially his Sons and Lovers. Some scholars research the religion of the book, and some talk about its pregnant meaning, and some argue the structure and style, even some survey the feminism in the book. This paper intends to talk about the main character, Pauls distortion of personality and feeling by analyzing his Oedipus complex and its meaning. 1.2 About Sons and LoversSons and Lovers (1913), containing many autobiographical details, is Lawrences masterpiece and also his most popular novel. It tells the story of a miners family-the Morel family. Mrs. Morel is disillusioned with her husband, a coarse and hard-drinking miner. Therefore, she places all her expectations on her sons, especially Paul. As Paul grows older, tensions develop in this relationship, until his passions for another two women involve him into a fatal conflict of love and possessiveness. This book has been regarded by critics as a brilliant illustration of Freuds theory of Oedipus complex. 2. A general review of Oedipus complex This concept is introduced in Interpretation of Dreams (1899), “referring to the two Greek legends: the Theban hero Oedipus who unknowingly slew his father and married his mother, and its female analogue, Electra who helped slay her mother. If the child cant smoothly pass through this mental stage, there should occur an infantile neurosis that is an important forerunner of similar reactions during the childs adult life. The superego also has its origin in the process of overcoming the Oedipus complex. Freud considered the reactions against the Oedipus Complex the most important social achievements of the human mind.”1 We speak of “love” when we lay the accent upon the mental side of the sexual impulses and disregard, or wish to forget for a moment, the demands of the fundamental physical or “sensual” side of the impulses. At about the time when the mother becomes the love-object, the mental operation of repression has already began in the child and has withdrawn from him the knowledge of some part of his sexual aims. Now with the choice of the mother as love-object is connected all that which, under the name of “the Oedipus Complex,” has become of such great importance in the psychoanalytic explanation of the neuroses, and which has had a perhaps equally important share in causing the opposition against psychoanalysis.There is no possible doubt that one of the most important sources of the sense of guilt which so often torments neurotic people is to be found in the Oedipus complex. .Now what does direct observation of children, at the period of object-choice before the latency period, show us in regard to the Oedipus complex? Well, it is easy to see that the little man wants his mother all to himself, finds his father in the way, becomes restive when the latter takes upon himself to caress her, and shows his satisfaction when the father goes away or is absent. He often expresses his feelings directly in words and promises his mother to marry her; this may not seem much in comparison with the deeds of Oedipus, but it is enough in fact; the kernel of each is the same. Observation is often rendered puzzling by the circumstances that the same child on other occasions at this period will display great affection for the father; but such contrasting-or, better, ambivalent-states of feeling, which in adults would lead to conflicts, can be tolerated alongside one another in the child for a long time, just as later on they dwell together permanently in the unconscious. One might try to object that the little boys behavior is due to egoistic motives and does not justify the conception of an erotic Complex; the mother looks after all the childrens needs and consequently it is to the childs interest that she should trouble herself about no else. This too is quite correct; but it is soon clear that in this, as in similar dependent situations, egoistic interests only provide the occasion on which the erotic impulses seize. When the little boy shows the most open sexual curiosity about his mother, wants to sleep with her at night, insists on being in the room where she is dressing, or even attempts physical acts of seduction, as the mother so often observes and laughingly relates, the erotic nature of this attachment to her is established without a doubt. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that a mother looks after a little daughters needs in the same way without producing this effect; and that often enough a father eagerly vies with her in trouble for the boy without succeeding in winning the same importance in his eyes as the mother. In short, the factor of sex preference is not to be eliminated from the situation by any criticisms. From the point of review of the boys egoistic interests it would merely be foolish if he did not tolerate two people in his service rather than only one of them. In Sons and Lovers, the main character Paul has a serious Oedipus complex. The reasons will be found in the paper.3. Pauls Oedipus Complex 3.1 The emotions between Paul and his mother Paul is more delicate and quiet than any other children with his pale faces, and looks older than the other children at the same age. So his illness tends to further his mothers love upon him still more. He is very conscious of what other people feel, particularly his mother. When she frets, he can understand her, and cant keep himself calm at the same time; his attention seems always to be centralized to her.Pauls passions upon his mother and the mothers upon him are quietly mutual. When he is together with his mother, his love spews like a fountain, and his inspiration flashes like a flame. Both the flowers he plucks and the rewards he gets are to be devoted to his mother, only for herself. They tell each other their feelings from their innermost world, and share the happiness and grievance with each other. This kind of emotion which excesses the normal one between mother and son reaches a climax when Mr. Morel (Pauls father) is in hospital as a work accident. For example, he even says to his mother with joy: “Im the man in the house now.”2“They learned how perfectly peaceful the home could be. And they almost regretted-though none of them would have owned to such callousness-that their father was soon coming back. ”3So Paul feels disappointed and fear again after his father comes back from hospital.Paul is nearly 20 years old, but his affection is completely controlled by his mother. He is hostile to his father, and often prays “Lord, let my father die.”4When he grows older, he even treats his father with fists. However, his mother is the most important and the only lofty person in his mind. Facing the intense conflicts between mother and Miriam, Paul thinks his most passionate love belongs to his beloved mother. It seemed to Paul that his mother looked lovely, in her new black silk blouse with its bit of white trimming. There is a short conversation from him to his mother: “At any rate, mother, Ill never marry.”5, which can show that he is involved into an inextricable trouble due to his love towards his mother. Paul always worries about a lot when he gets along with the other women because of the effects from his mother. He is with Miriam so closely and so often that makes the relationships of he and his parents more complex and bring new problems and trouble to him. He cant control himself and handle it successfully as his Oedipus complex is serious. So he loses the ability to love other women: “He was afraid of her. The fact that he might want her as a man wants a woman had in him been suppressed into a shame. When she shrank in her convulsed, coiled torture from the thought of such a thing, he had winced to do depths of his soul. And now this purity prevented even their first love kiss. It was as if she could scarcely stand the shock of physical love, even a passionate kiss, and then he was too shrinking and sensitive to give it.” 6 The woman who will stay with him in his mind is only his mother instead of his later wife: “But I shant marry, mother. I shall live with you, and well have a servant.” 7In his eyes, his mother is his only beloved woman.Pauls friend Miriam and Mrs. Morel have many similarities in their personalities. Just as Mrs. Morel, she is not only educated, but also full of confidence and independent spirits, and at times keeps Paul in a subordinative position. Since Paul considers her as the substitute of his mother, he cant have a normal amanorial relation with Miriam. He hates her because she makes him contempt himself in some way. When he stays with Miriam, he misses his mother. His deepest love belongs to his mother. When he feels that he hurts her or hurts the love devoted to her, he cant bear. His mother looks like a magnetic pole that prevents him getting away from her. Paul cant help missing his mother for a long time after her death, because he loses the power which supports his life. He ever struggles in order to break away from his mothers controlling, but he fails. According to Freuds viewpoint, Pauls Oedipus complex is very severe. Although he grows up, he cant transcend the love between the baby and mother; he cant build up a right superego concept to control his instinctive impulsion which goes against morality and ethics; and cant make his emotion develop healthily. The complex love from the son to his mother has existed to the end of the novel. At the beginning, Paul can take good care of his mother when she is ill down, but as time goes by, he and his sister cant stand to see their beloved mother live in such pain so that they give her an extra dosage of morphine in their mother cup. Then Mrs. Morel dies. So he gets himself into trouble again, he seemingly realizes that he never lives by his own will and his own way, he never leads a real life for himself. He not only feels that he cant live without her but also feels if she lives, he cant live independently. But when he accelerates his mothers death personally, he cries again and again: “My love my love-oh, my love!”83.2 The conflicts between Paul and his motherSons and lovers reveals two quite different kinds of relationships that cant be separated from each other. The identity of a son indicates a family relationship which relates the boys to their parents by blood relationship; while the identity of a lover indicates a special human relationship, which reflects the emotion between men and women. In the novel, Paul is not only a son but also a lover, who has an Oedipus complex, but he dates with the other two women still. Paul has a resistant consciousness on the problem how to deal with the relationships of his beloved mother and the two loves. But this consciousness only exists in a few words or phases. For example, when he and Miriam have a further development on the love affairs, he doesnt know what and how to do again. He feels depressed and finally he returns to his mother yet. When he keeps contact with another woman, Clara, his mother quarrels with him angrily: “But wont people talk?”-“Of course, these may be nothing wrong in it, but you know what folk are, and if once she gets talked about-”9 But Paul also quarrels with his mother this time instead of giving up directly: “Well, I cant help it. Their jaw isnt so almighty important, after all.”-“What can people say? -that we talk together, I believe youre jealous.”10 From these words, we know the conflicts between Paul and his mother become clear.Its the very relationship which changes Pauls attitude to his mother. It seems that he realizes the person is his mother who destroys his happy life. 4. The factors caused Pauls Oedipus Complex4.1 Mothers abnormal maternity Mrs. Morel, mother of the sons, is the major character, who comes from a good burglar family, civilized and educated well. She also has refined manners comparing with the vulgar women in Bottoms. Her husband is from a lower class. He is a struggling coal miner and a heavy drinker. They have nothing in common. In fact, their marriage life is very frustrated which is full of conflicts. At a Christmas party, the fathers vigor melt the mothers Puritanism and make her decide to marry him who lives in a poor family. Mrs. Morel thinks that she would reform the miner and bring him up to her level of manners. But very soon she knows he can never be reformed. On the contrary, Mr. Morel becomes more and more cruel and fierce to the family due to Mrs. Morels complaints and contempt. Every morning, the father crawls into the dark and dump pit, and work hard. In the evening, he doesnt come back until he is dead drunk. When he is at home, he treats his wife and children brutally. He even locks his wife out of the door when she is pregnant, and hits her head violently just after she gives birth to a baby. It seems only when he is drunk, can he temporarily escape from his sorrow and fatigue; only when he maltreats his family, can he mitigates his fury and grievance. So the harmonious atmosphere is destroyed. The mother is unsatisfied and angry with the coal miner, because he not only fails to live up to her bourgeois idea, but also hurts her in body and mind. Their marriage is broken up completely, as Lawrence once described: “their marriage life has been one carnal, bloody flight.”11 As Mrs. Morel loses her husbands love, she slowly inexorably transfers her emotions to her children. In her eyes, her sons are her lovers who take position of her husband. She wants to win her sons love that she cant get from h