His mother of course is the one of inspiration. The one of warmth and the one of inspiration. There did seem to be a moment when Paul realized there were two female forces in life. Also, Gertrude’s goal of having her sons do better than her financially and marry into respectable families didn’t match up to Miriam’s farm life. Gertrude’s worry and disapproval caused Paul to be unhappy. Miriam is on the other hand, intelligent, spiritual, and willing to learn. After William died, Paul was all she had left, Arthur being more like his father. Although I’m sure Gertrude rather preferred William not married, she wasn’t totally against it.

Gertrude wanted her sons to be more successful than she and William were well on his way. Then, why should she be against Miriam? Lilly was not as intelligent as Gertrude, Lilly had no chance of breaking, or coming anywhere close to breaking that bond.Īlso, William was already out in the business world. When the eldest son, William, went out with Lilly Gertrude, she was not horribly adamant against her. The main problem that Gertrude has with Miriam is her worth and her family status. Because of these conflicts, Paul made Miriam suffer. After William’s death, Paul became his mother’s chief emotional outlet, thus Miriam becomes subject to similar trials as Lilly. He knew she did not completely approve of her. He felt the need to belittle her constantly in comparison to his mother. Whenever William brought his lover, Lilly, around his mother, it pained him. This tension is similar to the tension that caused William to die. When Paul compared his two loves, it caused great tension between the two, he would begin to hate Miriam. Paul’s relationship with his mother was very dominating. “You make me feel spiritual and I don’t want to be spiritual.” (190) Eventually, Miriam introduces Paul to Clara to hopefully fulfill these needs. Paul has other needs that Miriam could never fulfill. Lawrence showed this sometimes with depictions of flowers.

Of sons and lovers