How Lawrence analyses human relations in his novels

by W.T.J.S. Kaviratne-Ambalangoda spl. Cor.

D.H. Lawrence was a novelist, poet, short story writer, critic, dramatist and painter. The major theme in the majority of his novels and short stories is based on the issues relevant to a wider diversity of human relationships.

In the short story, 'Odour of Chrysanthemum' the impact of unhappy relationship developed between the protagonist Elizabeth Bates and her husband Walter is depicted. Lawrence who had an intimate knowledge and childhood experience about the lives of coal miners had provided him authentic material for the themes of his works.

The strained relationship between Lawrence's mother and father and the isolation and the negligence of his mother by his father and the unhealthy atmosphere prevailed in the house have been vividly displayed in 'Odour of Chrysanthemum'.

Even Lawrence's father just like Walter, the husband of Elizabeth, made village pub the primary destination after work and not the family home. Lawrence focussed on how industrialisation and modernism had a negative impact on human emotions, feelings and healthy relationships.

Third novel

'The Rainbow' is the third novel written by Lawrence in 1915 and its main theme is the relationships among men and women of Brangwen family in Est Midland. The consequences of the lack of understanding which prevented the fulfilment of personal relationships and how it reacted on their lives are highlighted.

Annu attacks the religious sensibility of Will while Ursula was critical of the narrow-mindedness of Skrebenskys. Tom and Lydia Brangwen who had hailed from different social, intellectual and cultural backgrounds found it difficult to adjust their relationships. Ann who was Lydia's daughter from her first husband had a dehumanising relationship with her husband Will Brangwen who was a distant cousin of Tom.

They had many children but their relationship had problems and finally their marriage ended in failure. Will and Ann's daughter Ursula who became a teacher had a relationship with a soldier Anton Skrebensky but there was no satisfaction in their relationship. The narrator of 'Rainbow' focuses on relationships between its characters. Lawrence who was an expert on exploring conscious and subconscious minds tried to trace the traits of sexuality theory of Sigmund Freud's 'Oedipus Complex ' in mother - son relationship highlighted in "Sons and Lovers". He revealed the mother - son relationship found between Paul and William and their mother.

Mother and son

According to Lawrence in Sons and Lovers Gertrude Morel's relationship with her sons Paul and William was exceptionally beyond the conventional mother-son relationship or love. Mrs. Morel's relationship mostly with her son Paul and to a lesser extent with the other son William was so intense she did not approve the interest shown by their girlfriends on them. Paul's relationship with Miriam was destroyed not only by Miriam's deep spiritual relationships but by his mother's disapproval and jealousy.

Mrs Morel hated the life she had lived with her husband and Lawrence revealed the relationship she had with her husband was replaced by the emotional relationships with her sons.

When Mr. Walter Morel died she strongly lacked the natural feelings of sorrow and grief in the manner an ordinary wife should have felt on the death of her husband. Mrs. Morel was highly worried when her son William was leaving her to go to London.

Lawrence had used symbols of estranged relationship found between husband and wife in Morel family. He had very effectively used symbols relevant to the theme of the novel ' Sons and Lovers' depicting the nature of relationships of its characters. Lawrence had used nature and flowers as well as objects as effective symbols to portray the intense sexual relationships in 'Sons and Lovers'.

Lawrence had used the symbol of Ash Tree, in Sons and Lovers to portray the sinister and dark aspect of life and the mysterious forces of nature which had been identified by Lawrence as forebodings of tragedy in humanity. "A large splashed stars the roses gleamed on the darkness of the foliage and stems and grass. Paul and Miriam stood close together, silent and waited.

Point after point the roses shone out to them seeming to kindle something in their souls. "The description of the flowers and their intense whiteness Lawrence had exploited to portray the sexual relationship and the emotions found emerging within Paul and Miriam. The swing found In the Willey Farm was a symbol of 'love-hate' relationship found between Paul and Miriam.

The back and forward movements of the swing portrayed the extremes of their relationship. Paul loved Miriam one moment and hated another moment. The thwarted relationship between Paul and Miriam in Sons and Lovers was portrayed using the symbol hens.

Controversial

'Lady Chatterley's Lover' is the most controversial novel written by D. H. Lawrence in 1928 and it was banned both in England and America as pornographic. It was considered then as an explicit description of sex in un-printable words.

Constance Reid (Lady Chatterly) the female protagonist of the novel 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' belonged to an upper-middle class family and in 1917, at age of 23 she got married to Clifford Chatterley a scion of an aristocratic family.

After a month of honeymoon he joined the war and returned home paralysed, from waist down due to a war injury. After the war Clifford Chatterley became a successful writer and was deeply engaged in his literary activities and met writers at home. He found no time to be with Constance and she felt that she had been completely ignored by Clifford.

Due to the fact that she and her husband Clifford were distanced a nurse called Mrs. Bolton was hired to take care of handicapped Clifford.

Constance was highly affected by the psycho-sexual emotional crisis due to isolation. Her sexual frustration led her into a love affair with their gamekeeper Oliver Mellors. Lady Chatterley (Constance) had realised that she could no longer live with the mind alone. She must also be alive physically.

Diversity

Lawrence conveyed another relationship which he advocated 'mind - body relationship in the novel through the sexual relationship of Lady Chatterley with the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors.

Lawrence analysed diversity of relationships existed between the characters of gamekeeper Oliver Mellors and his wife Bertha which was of brutal sexual nature, maternal relationship between Clifford Chatterley and his nurse Mrs. Bolton in the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover.

All the characters in ' Lady Chatterley's Lover ' appeared to be in a great struggle in searching for meaningful relationships. The main plot of the novel revolves around Constance Chatterley's (Lady Chatterley) relationship with the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors and decline of the relationship with her husband Clifford Chatterley.

Each character was dissatisfied with their previous relationships due to lack of harmony between the mind and the body.

Lady Chatterley lacked intimacy with her husband Clifford Chatterley because he was only 'mind' and strongly lacked 'body' because he was physically handicapped and impotent.

The gamekeeper Oliver Mellors kept away from his wife Bertha due to her brutish sexual nature. These different dissatisfactions eroded the healthy relationships between the characters of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'. Some literary critics referring to the sexual aspects of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' are of the opinion that they are merely symptomatic of deeper issues that D.H. Lawrence exposes.

Lawrence aimed primarily to expose the dehumanisation of industrialisation of England. A symmetrical relationship between the characters, the social class and the scarred landscapes had been created by Lawrence to reinforce his major theme of 'human relationships' in Lady Chatterley's Lover.

Lawrence as usual was not hesitant to attribute the unhealthy human relationships existed among the people in England to industrialisation in the 19th century. Clifford Chatterley became a war victim, a cripple and the failure of his marriage to Constance were all direct results of industrialisation.