Women In Lawrence's Works

D. H. Lawrence (1885～1930), a prolific literary genius, was blessed with a unique observational capacity and cultivated his own idiosyncratic narrative style, which has incurred numerous controversies. The delicacy and subtlety in his description of the female world can be traced back to his youthful experiences and his sensitive psychic texture. He unfolds to the reader a whole new world in which human beings can rediscover their once lost selves and experience a rebirth. He remained a controversial figure in the realm of literature and was even considered as the advocate of male-chauvinism. Despite censures and impugnments, he always adhered to his principles and beliefs, never forsaking his solitary but adamant search for the salvation of human souls. He dedicated himself to the exploration of female psychology and emotions, offering the reader vivid descriptions of the heroines'arduous journey of self-discovery and their attempts at self-fulfillments. This essay aims to make an analysis of the female images in Lawrence's works and explore their significance in literary history, providing another piece of evidence in defense of Lawrence's personal integrity and philosophic sophistication.This essay first traces the influences upon Lawrence of western philosophy and the dominant thoughts at the turn of the 20th century and the imprints of these influences in his works. It focuses upon the relationship between Lawrence and several schools of thoughts that exerted numerous influences upon modernism including the psychoanalysis of Freud, The Will to Power—Wille zur Macht—of Friedrich Nietzsche and the intuitionism of Henri Bergson. There have always been endless arguments over the complicated relationship between the psychoanalysis of Freud and the literary creation of Lawrence. This essay aims at offering a clear and objective outline concerning this issue. Nietzsche's admiration for the so-called Dionysiac spirit motivated Lawrence's passion for life and offered him numerous inspirations. The intuitionism of Henri Bergson also interested and inspired Lawrence, directly leading to the creation of female characters in the works of Lawrence who embrace personal experiences of life. The second part of the essay makes detailed analyses of the female images in Lawrence's works based on the role classifications of mother, wife and lover. In Lawrence's works the female always exist in some kind of relation to the male instead of as independent beings. They always exist as the mother, wife, daughter or lover of the male, which implies the deprivation of female selfhood in the patriarchal society. Lawrence encouraged the female to rediscover their lost selves and restore their true female identities. The third part of the essay explores the significance of the female images in the whole literary history from three perspectives: the relationship between Lawrence and feminism; Lawrence as a unique modernist; gender roles reflective of social identities. According to Lawrence, the emancipation of women is meaningless without the general development of female individuals. The independence of modern women does not mean the casting off and forsaking of"femininity". Lawrence sympathizes with and appreciates the efforts of feminists for the emancipation of women. However, he also points out the deficiency of feminism and considers the spiritual liberation much more important than the superficial social equality with men. Confronting the intruding modern industrial civilization, Lawrence directs his passion to the psychological world of the working class and resists the intrusion of metropolitan civilization consciously. Joyce is in relentless pursuit of art as a means of resenting radical materialism. Woolf seeks after the dynamic consciousness of modern metropolis as a means to fight institutional oppression. What Lawrence fights for are the pure souls of human beings uncontaminated by secular vanity. Although they adopt different approaches of literary communication, they are basically the modernist defenders who are rebellious against the industrial civilization and social centralization. The differences between gender roles are reflected in their social roles. The female are closer to nature while the male take great pride in their rationality and intellectuality. The female consider love to be the ultimate gateway leading to happiness while the male realize their dreams through secular success. The female are the spiritual leaders while the male are the controllers of material comforts. The idealistic condition of human beings is the harmony between the genders. It can be concluded that Lawrence devoted his whole life into the exploration of the perfect relationship between men and women. He created many female characters in his works who take the venture and shoulder the responsibility for themselves, finally achieving their life objective through discovering their true selves and establishing a harmonious male-female relationship. Lawrence was an explorer instead of an eccentric.