division Walter Morel belongs to the pit but Gertrude Morel hates this life She is refined thoughtful and seeks culture The pit becomes the wall between husband and wife The narrator says Each forgot everything save the hatred of the other Gertrude turns her love to her children instead So the pit symbolizes the loss of love the quarrels and the breaking of a marriage It divides the family instead of supporting it Symbol of Death and Fate The pit stands for death The miners risk their lives every day It takes life slowly through tiredness and drink It also takes life suddenly in accidents For Walter it becomes a symbol of fate For Paul it is the shadow he wishes to escape The pit is dark endless and crushing It symbolizes the death of joy in the Morel family Thus the coal-pits are more than mines They symbolize poverty division and death They destroy Walter s life and Gertrude s marriage They shape the fate of the children In Sons and Lovers the coal-pits stand as a dark symbol of working-class tragedy