Distorted Character Formed In Industrialized Society

D.H Lawrence is a brilliant English writer contributing to the world with voluminous works including poems, novels, dramas, and literary criticism. Lady Chatterley's Lover is Lawrence's last novel in which he severely reprimands the ravages of modern industrialization on the nature, and the repression and distortion of humanity effected by industrialization. From Lawrence's perspective, the innermost nature of human beings is ruthlessly strangled and human relationship is dominated by starkly utilitarian bond. In the meantime, Lawrence boldly eulogizes healthy sexual relationship and deems sex to be the source of human vitality. He believes only when the relationship between men and women is readjusted and sex is emancipated, can human beings be delivered from industrialized crisis.David Riesman is a prestigious American socialist, who successively teaches sociological courses as a professor in University of Chicago and Harvard University. He is engaged in the research of social structure and social character devotedly all his life. In 1950, Riesman published his representative work the Lonely Crowd in which he puts forwards the theory of social character. In this thesis, the theory of tradition-directed character and inner-directed character are applied to the analysis of the formation and transformation of Clifford's character. In addition, the thesis explores the symbolic connotation of both Clifford and his inner-directed character and further elaborates Lawrence's rebuke of modern industrialization from the aspect of social character.The thesis consists of five parts. In Chapter I, a brief overview is made of D.H Lawrence, his works and previous critique on the novel at home and abroad. The introduction of the celebrated sociologist, David Riesman, and his theory of social character are also comprehended in this part. In Chapter II, Clifford's prominent tradition-directed character before the war is unfolded. Chapter III quests for the development course of Clifford's inner-directed character after the war. Chapter IV reveals the causes of the formation and transformation of Clifford's character. Furthermore, the symbolic connotation of both Clifford and his inner-directed character is brought to light. In the conclusion part, Lawrence's severe criticism of industrialized civilization is reaffirmed from the dimension of inner-directed social character.