Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers this novel was written by D. H. Lawrence in the year 1913. Lawrence started writing this novel in the period of mother’s illness and often expresses his mother’s wasted life through his female protagonist Gertrude Morel.

The first part of the novel focuses on Mrs. Morel’s life as she is leading an unhappy married life with a drinking miner. She undergoes lots of arguments with her husband, some of which resulted into painful arguments. Sometimes she was locked outside house or hit by drawer on her head. After being alienated from her husband Mrs. Morel takes comfort in her four children, especially her sons. Her favourite son William gets a job and had to move to London which makes her sad. William dies after few years which leave Mrs. Morel heart-broken. She didn’t give heed to her other children in William’s grief, and she was also going to lose her second son Paul as well. But Paul almost changes Mrs. Morel’s life and she focuses on him, they both started to live for each other.

Paul falls in love with Miriam Leivers , who lives nearby. Mrs. Morel didn’t approve their relationship for which Paul didn’t marry Miriam but had feelings for her. Then Paul meets Clara Dawes through Miriam. Clara is being separated from her husband. Paul and Clara come close to each other, Paul starts to discuss of his relationship with Miriam with Clara. Clara suggests him to conclude his relationship with Miriam and so Paul returns to Miriam to hear what she has left with to say.

Paul and Miriam sleep together and find each other happy but afterwards Paul makes a decision that he doesn’t want to marry Miriam so he finally breaks off with her. Miriam respects Paul’s decision and without saying a word accepts his decision but she thinks that his soul still belongs to her.

After breaking with Miriam Paul starts to spend more time with Clara and they start with an affectionate affair. Clara at the end is unwilling to give divorce to her husband Baxter and so they can never be married. Paul’s mother falls sick and Paul started devoting most of his time to his mother. But after few days his mother dies. Paul then goes back to Miriam he tried to persuade her in every way he could but everything went in vain. At the end of the novel Paul is left all alone.