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“Not very well off, I suppose?”
In that coal mining community, people live in small houses. Poverty rules their lives. Because of this hard life, Walter becomes rough and drinks too much. Lawrence uses this working-class setting to show how society can crush people’s happiness.
The Clash Between Classes and Education: Lawrence also shows the division between the working class and the educated middle class. Gertrude Morel, Paul’s mother, comes from a better family. She is more educated. Gertrude was initially attracted to Walter’s handsome appearance and lively personality. But soon after their marriage, she realises that they are not well-matched. She becomes unhappy when she discovers that Walter is not as financially stable. She feels trapped. The narrator says:
“There was a feeling of misery over all the house.”
She also wants her children to rise above this poor life through education. She dreams of refinement and culture. Lawrence shows that society creates painful conflicts when people cannot belong to one class fully.
Industrial Society and Loss of Natural Joy: The novel also presents how industrial life destroys the beauty of nature and human emotions. The black smoke, the noise, and the endless work in the mines take away peace and joy. The natural world is spoiled by machines and factories. The people in this industrial world become dull, mechanical, and lifeless. Lawrence, who loved nature deeply, wanted to show that true happiness lies in natural and personal connections, not in the cold world of industry.
Society and Relationships: Society in Sons and Lovers controls relationships strongly. Gertrude Morel’s unhappy marriage is partly because society expected women to stay home and depend on their husbands. She cannot leave him, even though she feels trapped. Her son Paul also struggles to love freely because of social rules and guilt. His relationships with Miriam and Clara are full of confusion and fear of judgment. Miriam wants spiritual love, while Clara represents physical passion. Paul cannot balance the two. Lawrence shows how social customs and class ideas make love complicated and painful.
Search for Freedom within Society: Paul’s journey is a search for freedom. Freedom from his mother’s control, from social expectations, and from the limits of class. When his mother dies, he feels both lost and released. He looks at the night and walks toward the light. He tries to find his own path. Lawrence writes,
“He walked towards the faintly humming, glowing town, quickly.”
This simple ending shows that even though society is strong, the human spirit still tries to move forward and live fully.
Through Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence paints a powerful picture of early 20th-century English society. He shows how class, poverty, and social customs shape every relationship. Yet he also celebrates the human heart that longs for love and freedom. The novel is not only about one family but also about the struggle of all people trying to live and feel in a world ruled by society.
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