1.

Psycholanalysis and Sons and Lovers

Ldlpus complex

Slgmund lreuds mosL celebraLed Lheory of sexuallLy Lhe Ldlpus complex Lakes lLs name from Lhe
LlLle characLer of Lhe Creek play Ldlpus 8ex ln Lhe sLory Ldlpus ls prophesled Lo murder hls faLher
and have sex wlLh hls moLher (and he does Lhough unwlLLlngly) lreud argued LhaL Lhese repressed
deslres are presenL ln mosL young boys 1he female verslon ls called Lhe LlekLra complex
1hls novel ls Lhe sLory of Lhe Morel famlly CerLrude and WalLer Morel had four chlldren Annle Lhe
daughLer and Lhree sons Wllllam aul and ArLhur As CerLrude Morel's sons grew up she no longer
felL love for her husband and lnsLead Lurned all her love and passlon Lowards her sons
u P Lawrence was aware of lreuds Lheory and Sons and Lovers famously uses Lhe Ldlpus complex
as lLs base for explorlng auls relaLlonshlp wlLh hls moLher aul ls hopelessly devoLed Lo hls
moLher and LhaL love ofLen borders on romanLlc deslre Lawrence wrlLes many scenes beLween Lhe
Lwo LhaL go beyond Lhe bounds of convenLlonal moLherson love CompleLlng Lhe Ldlpal equaLlon
aul murderously haLes hls faLher and ofLen fanLaslzes abouL hls deaLh
aul assuages hls gullLy lncesLuous feellngs by Lransferrlng Lhem elsewhere and Lhe greaLesL
recelvers are Mlrlam and Clara (noLe LhaL Lransference ls anoLher lreudlan Lerm) Powever aul
cannoL love elLher woman as much as he loves hls moLher Lhough he doesnL always reallze LhaL Lhls
ls an lmpedlmenL Lo hls romanLlc llfe 1he older lndependenL Clara especlally ls a falled maLernal
subsLlLuLe for aul ln Lhls seLup 8axLer uawes can be seen as an lmposlng faLher flgure hls savage
beaLlng of aul Lhen can be vlewed as auls unconsclously deslred punlshmenL for hls gullL auls
eagerness Lo befrlend uawes once he ls lll (whlch makes hlm someLhlng llke Lhe murdered faLher)
furLher reveals hls gullL over Lhe slLuaLlon 8uL Lawrence adds a LwlsL Lo Lhe Ldlpus complex Mrs
Morel ls saddled wlLh lL as well She deslres boLh Wllllam and aul ln nearromanLlc ways and she
desplses all Lhelr glrlfrlends She Loo engages ln Lransference pro[ecLlng her dlssaLlsfacLlon wlLh her
marrlage onLo her smoLherlng love for her sons
AL Lhe end of Lhe novel aul Lakes a ma[or sLep ln releaslng hlmself hls Ldlpus complex Pe
lnLenLlonally overdoses hls dylng moLher wlLh morphlne an acL LhaL reduces her sufferlng buL also
subverLs hls (Ldlpal faLe slnce he does noL klll hls faLher buL hls moLher
Sons and Lovers ls abouL Lhe fundamenLal lnfanLlle wlsh LhaL all boys have and repress accordlng Lo
lreud Lhe wlsh of Ldlpus Lo klll Lhelr faLher and marry Lhelr moLher lreuds Lheory of Lhe Ldlpus
complex and of lLs frequenL effecL of psychlcal lmpoLence of whlch aul ls a classlc vlcLlm offers a
valuable key Lo a coherenL undersLandlng of Lhe novel and Lhe way ln whlch lL ls sLrucLured 1he
exLenL of Lhe bond esLabllshed beLween moLher and son ls mosL vlvldly dramaLlzed by Lhe eplsode
where auls moLher crles aL Lhe LhoughL of loslng hlm Lo Mlrlam
l canL bear lL l could leL anoLher woman buL noL her Shed leave me no room noL a blL of room
And lmmedlaLely he haLed Mlrlam blLLerly
And lve never you know aul lve never had a husband noL really Pe sLroked hls moLhers
halr and hls mouLh was on her LhroaL
noL only does she lnvlLe aul Lo occupy Lhe place of her husband buL she accuses Mlrlam of Lhe
same possesslve love wlLh whlch she smoLhers aul AL Lhe end of Lhe chapLer aul echoes PamleL
anoLher exemplary Ldlpal vlcLlm when he Lrles Lo persuade hls moLher noL Lo sleep wlLh hls faLher
AL Lhls polnL ln Lhe novel Lhe presence of Lhe Ldlpus complex ln aul ls so paLenL LhaL one can hardly
conslder lL as a submerged Lheme Looked aL anoLher way a ma[or Lheme of Lhe book ls Lhe gradual
awakenlng of aul Lo Lhe deadly effecLs of hls Ldlpal flxaLlon on hls moLher 1he penulLlmaLe chapLer
Lelllngly called 1he8elease shows how aul comes Lo reverse Lhe Ldlpal deslre Lo klll Lhe faLher by
admlnlsLerlng an overdose Lo hls moLher Cne could say LhaL he has flnally learnL Lo dlrecL hls anger
ouLwards Lo lLs source
ln order Lo prevenL polarlzaLlon of Mlrlam and Clara as Lhe Lwo sexual ob[ecLs deslred ln Lwo
dlfferenL ways by Lhe psychlcally lmpoLenL aul who can only love Mlrlam by represslng deslre on
one slde and en[oy sexually wlLh Clara Lawrence lncludes Lhe eplsode ln whlch aul and Mlrlam
become lovers and anoLher one ln whlch he lnLroduced Claras husband who acLs as a faLher flgure
8axLer uawes acLs as a faLher flgure so LhaL by adulLery aul can llve ouL Lhe Ldlpal fanLasy by proxy
AL Lhe same Llme hls gullL aL breaklng Lhe lncesL Laboo ls sLrong enough for hlm Lo almosL deslre Lhe
punlshmenL he recelves durlng hls flghL wlLh uawes 1he sonlover laLer arranges Lhe reconclllaLlon
of hls proxy parenLs llvlng ouL a fanLasy ln whlch Lhe lncesLuous son undoes Lhe harm he has caused
Lo dle marlLal relaLlonshlp
aul ln hls sexual relaLlonshlp wlLh Mlrlam repeaLedly vaclllaLes beLween anger and shame aL hls
loss of Lemper
Pe was ofLen cruelly ashamed 8uL sLlll agaln hls anger bursL llke a bubble surcharged and sLlll when
he saw her eager sllenL as lL were bllnd face he felL he wanLed Lo Lhrow Lhe pencll ln lL and sLlll
when he saw he hand Lrembllng and her mouLh parLed wlLh sufferlng hls hearL was scalded wlLh
paln for her (page 137)

lL shows LhaL growlng up ls noL posslble for aul Morel who consLanLly falls Lo llberaLe hlmself of hls
moLher ln order Lo grow up and conLlnue wlLh hls llfe he needs Lo rebel agalnsL hls moLher