Sons and Lovers (PDF)

Paul Morel, the second eldest son of Gertrude and William, in D.H. Lawrence's novel works in a nearby factory while painting on the side. His older brother died of a skin disease, and Mrs. Morel was overcome by despondency. Paul's father is a drunken coal miner who beats his wife which terrifies Paul and presses him to hate his father. Gertrude uses this intense reaction to find new allegiance in her life with Paul and to reactivate her passion for him into a desire which is volatile but not sexual, and they are inseparable. Paul desperately, however, spends much time with Miriam Levier, a modest religious girl, but Mrs. Morel disapproves of her because she believes the Miriam is trying to take her son away. Paul is also visiting an older, more sensual woman, Clara Dawes, separated from her husband who discovers Paul's involvement and brutally beats him one night. Eventually Paul leaves the working-class mining world and moves into the society of commerce where he has a fair accomplishment as a painter. His recurrent relationships with these three women are many times horrifying, and Lawrence does not diminish the impact of their vigor or avoid the elaborate truths about the transformations of love without ambition or intent. Paul must wrestle with similar disparate sympathies that will trouble him his whole life.

Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.