Women In Love

“You don’t want to love- your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren’t positive, you’re negative. You absorb, absorb, as if you must fill yourself up with love, because you’ve got a shortage somewhere.” This quote by D.H. Lawrence, is exemplified through the two novels read thus far. It goes back to a discussion in class that I agree with, Jeffery stated, “were in love with the idea of love.” Love is a powerful drug, it can persuade you to say and act strangely. Allowing yourself open to love, may be compared with to walking down a dark tunnel; it may lead you out into the light or leave you stranded at a dead-end having to start over.

As expressed fully in class, “As the great novelist Hardy was, he could not imagine a happy marriage-contrary, Lawrence wants to spell out a perfect marriage.” I disagree that Lawrence wants to spell out a perfect marriage, because of the constant ambivalence he creates through the characters in his novels. The pieces always fall short in Lawrence’s world, and in the end a marriage may potentially occur, but are the characters truly in bliss? I enjoy that Lawrence lets his readers decide his characters ending, but it does not assure “a perfect relationship.”

Although, the name of novel is Women in Love, I agree with Professor Berman that a more suited name should be Men in Love. The reasons I have for coming to this conclusion, is based off of the two characters Gerald Crich and Rupert Birkin. One of the most important chapters for myself was in Chapter Five. It began to unfold a love-hate relationship the two men would continue throughout the novel. Birkin is a destructive; he is full of self destruct, he believes that society as a whole including human nature shall be be...

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... and the mind.” If you can be reborn through your bodies, touch, sacred mysteries of sexuality and appreciate our bodies we could come to appreciate other people. Unfortunately for Gerald, he was never able to appreciate and come to terms with his mind and body. Ultimately this lead to his suicide; leaving Birkin confused and wondering why he could not have it all. Women in Love caused me to understand the relationship Lawrence experienced with women. He was so frightened yet in-fascinated with them; which ultimately in my perception led to the confusion of wanting that same type of relationship with a man. Lawrence stated “Unless a woman, is held, by man, safe within the bounds of belief, she becomes inevitably a destructive force.” Gerald and Birkin were in fact two men in love; although unsuccessful Lawrence insinuates by Birkin that you can have two loves.