the father–son relationship in “Sons and Lovers.” [NU: 2017]
D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) paints a mining family in “Sons and Lovers” (1913). At the center stands Walter Morel, the miner father. His sons—William, Paul, and Arthur—grow under his shadow. But the shadow is dark. There is drinking, quarreling, and anger. Love fades. Distance grows. Through their broken bond, the novel shows pain, silence, and the cry of sons for a true father.
Walter and William: William is the eldest son. He is clever and full of promise. Morel is proud of him, but there is no deep closeness. When William comes home with his fiancée, he greets his father politely. He says,
“Hello, dad!”
Morel answers,
“Hello, my son! Tha’s let on me!”.
This shows respect but also formality. William feels more love for his mother. When William dies, Morel suffers quietly. Lawrence says he avoided the cemetery. He never went near his son’s office again. This shows grief. However, he cannot share it with his family.
Walter and Paul: Paul, the second son. He is very close to his mother. When Walter quarrels with Gertrude, Paul openly takes his mother’s side. He hates the way Walter shouts and drinks. The fights at home make Paul hate his father. Paul sees his mother crying. This fills him with anger against Walter. Morel feels distance from Paul. However, he buys tulips for Paul when the boy is sick. Lawrence says,
“His father had bought him a pot of scarlet and gold tulips.”
This shows he cares, but his love is not perfect. Paul feels pity, not closeness. Their bond is weak because Gertrude always stands between them. Paul sees his father as cruel. Walter Morel is very different from Paul’s mother’s world of thought and feeling.
Walter and Arthur: Arthur, the youngest son. He is more like his father. Walter loves him openly. He jokes and shows pride. Unlike with Paul or William, the relationship is simple. Arthur does not question his father’s drinking or cruel behaviour. This shows how class and character shape the bonds. Two sons oppose, but one accepts. But even here, love is superficial, not deep.
Quarrels and Silence in the Home: The house is full of quarrels. Once, Mr. Morel throws a drawer at his wife. He cuts off William’s hair. Misery fills the house. So, Lawrence says,
“There was a feeling of misery over all the house.”
Walter drinks, comes home late, and argues. Lawrence again says about him,
“He was a master of skittles and of dominoes.”
The children see their mother suffer. This creates distance. Paul and William silently judge him. The children grow in this hard silence. They do not find warmth in their father. Instead, they take sides with their mother. This weakens father–son bonds even more.
Final Separation: When Gertrude dies, the family falls apart. Morel and Paul move to another house. But the distance remains. Morel cannot console Paul. Paul cannot depend on his father. Both are lonely. The story ends with Paul turning to life alone, not to his father. This shows the final truth: father and sons never find real closeness. Their relationship is marked by silence, quarrels, and missed chances.
The father–son relationship in “Sons and Lovers” is painted in pain. Walter Morel is rough, careless, and lost in drink. His sons grow far from him. William turns to London. Paul attaches to his mother. Arthur flees to the army. No son finds a father. Lawrence shows the tragedy of a home where love dies in the shadow of a miner’s boots.
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