The novel "sons and lovers" is both realist and modernist. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.
"Sons and Lovers" is both a realist and modernist novel written by English writer D.H Lawrence in 1913. The novel is structured upon the real life incidences of Lawrence making it auto- biographical in nature; its chronological order places it in the genre of bildungsroman, also Paul's growth as an artist makes the novel a künstlerroman. Novel portrays working class with an insider's point of view along with protagonists' encounter with natural elements shaping their psychological state of mind making it a realist novel. The sexual wholesomeness and passion of characters, rebellious female characters, breakdown of family unit and focus on art makes the novel modernist. Written in the 20th century the novel retains elements of 19th century realism and explores the modernist form of writing which was making its way after the First World War.
The realists portrayed real and everyday situation in contemporary settings with truth and accuracy, they did not avoid the unpleasant and unhygienic conditions. Realism often reflected the changes brought by industrial and commercial revolution. Main elements of realist novels are details, transparent language i.e. simple language, omniscient narrator, truthfulness, focus on class, rising literacy and social critique (critiquing social and political conditions of society). The novel depicts life of working class; Mr. Morel's working class identity can be seen in textual touches like "he went downstairs in his shirt and then struggled into pit trousers, which were left on the hearth to warm all night"(p.35). The economic marker of proletariats/working class is that they have to be conscious of every chilling and they have to take decisions carefully about money. Mrs. Morel buys a dish and her normal housewife joy turns into puritanical guilt because it was expensive (p.90). There is also a sense of illegitimacy visible in the background of Mr. Morel; he gives shouts "uszza, uszza" (p.35) and the identity of Walter Morel as a miner is established with a Derbyshire dialect which is the speech of "insouciance and raw anger" says Ashok Celly. The surroundings are also realist; the garden is holistic and Mr. Morel is happiest when he works in a garden, The unhygienic conditions of the mine make him frustrated and irritable because of which he turns to violence and as a result loses his position of a patriarch in the family. The social setting of Bestwood is the excellent communication by miner's wives. Mrs. Morel invites clergyman over for tea and intellectual sympathy because Walter spoiled the party (p.40-42)
JC.F Littlewood says the first part is a classic of intensity of family life, love and loyalty. Lawrence is writing in realist mode as he makes abundance use of images and symbols to communicate his vision. Nature images are there to delineate emotional states and psychological conflict among the protagonists. The first image is Mrs. Morel's encounter with the lilies. She goes out in night "seared with passion" and has a communion with the lilies. "The tall white lilies reeling in the moonlight"(p.29). The lilies are a celebration of life- force, the rebellion of Mrs. Morel says Ashok Celly. The lilies renew Gertrude Morel's faith in her life and her anger is sucked out. The second image is the orange moon; Paul and Miriam spot an "enormous orange moon"(p.198). For Paul it helped in releasing his passions and in Miriam it evoked a deeply religious emotion and because of that Paul felt impotent. This tension disturbs their relationship. The last image is that of a powerful stallion; Paul, Clara and Miriam come across Strelly Mill Farm. "The big red breast" which "dances romantically" represents a phallic power according to Ashok Celly.
'Mill on the floss' is another famous 19thcentury realist novel by George Eliot, it is basically the tale of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, the novel is also a bildungsroman like 'sons and lovers' and in both the novel the position of women is highlighted. The society has certain norms of its own and expects all members to comply with it. Maggie develops an interest in education and helps Tom with his work but Miriam wants to be a boy so she can educate herself, Annie on the other hand is educated and earns a living. Maggie and Miriam are aware of the restrictions that society places on them but both can't do much to cure these restrictions except Maggie disobeying Tom and Miriam wanting to be a boy. Morals are another similarity in both the novels, Maggie does not approve to do as the society says because society blames women says Fahmida Yasmin in her essay "the changing portrayal of women in the novels, Shirley, The Mill on the Floss and Sons and Lovers". Tom and William are the elder sons of the family and their family has high hopes from their future. There is realist portrayal of the surrounding of mill in the novel and how the society treats a disabled boy like Philip Wakem. In both the novels there is visibility of class conflicts and simple language is used along with truthfulness of the depictions of environment and conditions of society and characters. Time is chronological; there is linearity of events and scenes presented in the novels. It is not fragmented like modernists texts.
Modernist texts focused on the inner self and consciousness. It was in contrast with the romantic writing which took solace in nature; Terry Eagleton calls the romantics escapists. The modernist literature alienated individual and led to loneliness because they saw cold machinery not technology and increased capitalism. There is no distinguishing between male and female psychology. Mr. Morel loses out his role as a patriarch because of his drinking habits and violent ways, the children see him as an outsider invading their happy space. There is breakdown of the family unit, the Victorian notion of family is not held up. The father is not the guiding figure any more neither is the mother angel of the house like Sissy Jupe in Hard times. Mrs. Morel is frustrated and rebellious. She is not submissive, has anger and Mr. Morel is afraid of her in their fights. She does not leave the house because of her children and her hope is their success. She joins the women's guild where women "discuss the benefits to be derived from cooperation and other social questions"(p.69) she resists violence by being violent herself. When Mariam says she wants to become a man (p.170) Mrs. Morel says to females wanting to be a male are not comfortable with their sexuality and it is unnatural.
The women in the novel are also examples of modernist characters, the most radical being Clara Dawes. She is a suffragette and defiant of existing social standards. She walks with 'another man' not her husband and does not regret it because she is rebelling against social norms. Clara has a style of dress which expresses her radical ideas and is not in society's expectations; she is not an appropriate woman according to society's norms. She is actively protesting and is politically active. Clara's character is important because she facilitates his sexual growth and thus is very important in Paul's life. "After all it was Clara who taught young Paul Morel the ways of world and he had a lot to admire in her". Miriam does housework and because she has no opportunity she expresses her frustration to Paul:
'I want to do something. I want a chance like anybody else.
Why should I, because I 'am a girl be kept at home and not allowed to be anything? What chance have I?'
'Chance of what?'
'Of knowing anything-of learning, of doing anything.
It's not fair, because I'm a woman' (p.185)
Clara has a feeling of solidarity and sisterhood for individual women like Miriam and she defends women when Paul complains that she asks too much of him demanding a spiritual communion. Annie is also aware of women's position in society she becomes a teacher. There is a similarity between Maggie and Clara's affairs; Maggie goes out with Stephen Guest and Philip Wakem and the result is that her brother is angry with her and she dies in the flood. Similarly Clara also has many affairs and she is seen as an inappropriate woman by the society. The women characters are also different from 'Mrs. Dalloway' and 'Heart of darkness'. In Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf the focus is primarily on Clarissa Dalloway and Rezia warren smith. The characters are much talked of and acquire much of the space in the novel. In heart of darkness by joseph Conrad the women characters don't have a name, they are silent and rarely come on the surface, misogyny of Conrad is visible in his portrayal of women. The fiancé of Kurtz also does not have a name. In between these two novels lies the women of 'sons and lovers' who are starting to be rebellious, have a strong identity, radical ideas and they share equal space with the men in the novel. Seeing the strong female characters of women we have to talk about the oedipal relationship between Mrs. Morel and her sons.
Freud's theory on Oedipus complex came out at the end of 19th century. Ivy Low said that the book is about Oedipus complex. Ashok Celly says the novel is about young man's excessive, even erotic attachment to mother, his jealousy of father and inability to get love from other women. William is impatient; he has potential and aspires to fulfill his mother's dream unlike Paul. William tells his mother about many women and this makes his mother anxious. Mrs. Morel feels betrayed when William stops sending him money. After his death Mrs. Morel's hope is Paul. He dreams of living in a "cottage with his mother"(p.102) and scenes of intimacy are on the border of becoming incestuous. Kate Millet sees Paul as cynical manipulator of woman; Miriam is Paul's mistress and Clara is sexual one according to Millet. He wants something more than just spiritual connection from Miriam and he is partially satisfied with Clara. This is seen as his inability to be completely satisfied with any woman. D.H Lawrence wasn't aware of Freud's theory when he started writing but the relationship between sons and mother is that of bordering Oedipus complex. The sons display hatred towards father just like in the complex and the mother gets anxious when she gets to know about the relationships of the boys with woman. But is the concern sexual? Can't it be motherly concern ? Can't the hatred of father be because of his violent behaviors and beatings?
The new element of modernist literature was sexual wholesomeness or sexual frustration. Sex is seen as something which is serious, normal and is the central pre-occupation of mankind. Paul's relationship with Miriam is a realization that without sex marriage would not be able to succeed. "Baptism of fire in passion" is imagery for seriousness of sex opposite to west Christian beliefs like Miriam says Ashok Celly; for Miriam body is subordinate to soul and sexual pleasure is lowly for her .Paul's passion for Clara is serious and central to his growth, there is power and mystery in sexual passion, it puts them in touch with non-human mystery and liberates them from their pettifogging selves (p.368). Paul's dissatisfaction with Miriam and partial satisfaction with Clara tells us about the assertion of life of body.
Paul is an artist in the time when artists were not considered a part of the economic growth system. According to him the best paintings were those where he doesn't have to focus on outer shape but focus on "shimmering inner protoplasm". Paul explains his painting to Miriam in terms of impressionism; to him sketches are true to life because they don't have any shadows in them. Jack Stewart in his essay 'forms of expression' says that Paul wishes to paint the dance of life not the dead shapes of mind. The organic nature of an object is being focused on. Art doesn't need to focus on surface. Paul can survive in the city better than William because he has a better understanding of the world. Paul is a painter and has two dreams first of living with his mother and second of painting. When his mother dies life loses meaning and painting offers solace to him. The novel is thus a künstlerroman and Paul grows as an artist by moving to the city.
Raymond Williams says that education trains men of certain class and then makes them different from other men. Lawrence's education did not alienate him; he had strong attachment with his mother but also wants to have his father's instincts. Paul is an example of Lawrence's character "only from middle class one gets ideas and from common people- life and warmth" (p.275). Like 'Mill on the Floss' this novel is also autobiographical in nature says John Goode in his essay 'individuality and society in Sons and Lovers'. Lawrence was self-conscious and hyper sensitive, Walter Morel is modeled on Lawrence's father Arthur Lawrence and Gertrude Morel is modeled on his mother who was refined and held high morels and principles. Mariam is based on his teenage girlfriend Jessie Chambers. Paul moves from Bestwood to Nothingham and discards traditional beliefs and values. He moves from a provincial setting to city and this becomes an important part in his growth and the novel being a bildungsroman.
The novel written in 20th century has elements of 19th century realism and 20th century modernism both. The autobiographical nature of novel, psychological realist depiction, realist environment and surrounding settings and naturalism make the novel realist. Psychoanalysis, strong female character, sexual wholesomeness, impressionism, breakdown of family unit and movement to city makes it a modernist novel. Thus the novel 'sons and lovers' is both a realist and a modernist novel.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Celly, Ashok. Sons and Lovers edited by Ashok Celly. Delhi: worldview publications, an imprint of Book Land Publishing Co., 2015.
Goode, John. 'Individuality and Society in Sons and Lovers'. Sons and Lovers edited by Ashok Celly. Delhi: worldview publications, an imprint of Book Land Publishing Co., 2015.
Stewart John. The vital art of D.H Lawrence Vision and Expression. SIU Press, 1999.
Yasmin, Fahmida. 'The changing portrayal of women in the novels Shirley, The Mill on The Floss and Sons and Lovers'. Bangladesh, BRAC University, 2014.
Deepali Yadav
