The Assimilators by Asad Imran
HomeModern Novel
Character Sketch of Paul
Morel in Sons and Lovers by
D. H. Lawrence
byAsad Imran •April 07, 2021
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Table of Contents
1. Who is Paul Morel?
2. His Sickly Posture
3. Unhealthy Domestic Atmosphere and its Adverse Effects
in Paul's Life
4. Self-Conscious
5. A Budding Artist
6. Paul and Gertrude
7. Paul and Miriam
8. Paul and Clara
9. Conclusion
10. Sources and Suggested Readings
Who is Paul Morel?
Paul Morel is the most important character of the novel, Sons and
Lovers. The character of Paul is highly autobiographical because
he mirrors D. H. Lawrence himself. Lawrence himself had an
Oedipal relationship with his mother, Lydia Lawrence. He rejected
Jessie Chambers out of the strong influence of his mother. Paul
suffers the very complexes that Lawrence himself suffered. Let's
explore in detail about Paul.
His Sickly Posture
Paul is the third child. He is born in the midst of harsh quarrels
between Gertrude and Walter. Gertrude even thinks that she does
not want any children anymore. When the child (Paul) is born, his
knitted and heavy eyes may signal the concept of 'pain'. His mother
is extremely moved by his facial expression and she resolutes that
"with all her force, with all her soul, she would make up to it for
having brought it into the world involved".
Paul Morel was a lean and delicate child in his childhood. When he
grew up a bit, he waa transitioned into "a rather finely boy, with
dark brown hair and light blue eyes" that last its brightness and
animation throughout his life.
Unhealthy Domestic Atmosphere and its
Adverse Effects in Paul's Life
As Paul grows on in years, he is greeted by the frequent quarrels
between his father and his mother. This leaves a significant mark
in Paul's childhood. He is forced to side with his mother. He
remains afraid throughout the day and night, thinking and praying
about the safety of his mother. In his upstairs lodgings, he remains
anxious about the business downstairs. He even prays that his
father should stop drinking. The unhealthy domestic atmosphere
affects him in three ways,
Firstly, he gets depressed for no obvious reasons and begins
crying bitterly. His mother tries her best to console him but it does
not help him either. When his father threatens Paul that he will beat
him if he does not stop crying. It hurts Paul more.
Secondly, Paul grows an uncontrollable hatred for his father. He
cannot even bear the sight of his father. When he wins a prize for
the first time, his mother asks him to show it to his father but he
replies that he would rather hide it.
Thirdly, this situation creates an unhealthy dependence of Paul
upon his mother that creates a significant rift between his
emotional life when he is pursuing Miriam and Clara Daves.
Self-Conscious
From his childhood to his adulthood, Paul remains occupied in his
own self. That is because he is allergic of the world outside him
and he does not feel compatible with his society. Resultantly, his
first day at school is a nightmare for him. His experience of
collecting wages in the pit is not good because of the vulgar
language of the workers. Similarly, when he is climbing stairs in
the Jordan's to appear in the interview, Lawrence depicts Paul's
internal agony as thus,
Charles 1 mounted his scaffold with a lighter heart than did
Paul Morel as he followed his mother up to the dirty steps
to the dirty door.
A Budding Artist
Paul is a skilled painter. This is the only art that makes both of his
parents proud. It is to be noted that one of his paintings get
featured in Nottingham Castle Exhibition and is sold out in return
of a handsome amount. Paul is fond of painting. He is solemnly
absorbed in painting and does not even know what is happening in
his surroundings. He talks endlessly of his sketches to Miriam.
Paul is not only well versed in the art of painting, but also he is
good at French and Algebra. He teaches Algebra to Miriam and
they both discussed about the books they read.
Paul and Gertrude
Paul's relationship with his mother can be divided into two major
periods. Of his childhood and his adulthood. In Paul's childhood,
his relationship with his mother was based upon healthy
intentions. He was lonely so he got an outlet for his inner conflicts
in the form of his mother and in return, his mother used to transfer
her attention away from her husband to her son. They used to visit
forests and exhibition centres. But as Paul grew up into his
adulthood, the mother-son relationship grew unnatural. Gertrude
used her son as her husband's substitute. She once said that she
never had a husband and in return, to console his mother, Paul put
his face on her throat and she gave him a long kiss. Similarly, when
Paul was born, Gertrude thought that the navel string had not been
broken that connected her body with his frail organs. Such a
relationship adversely affected Paul's ability to mix up with the
girls of his age.
Paul and Miriam
The friendship between Paul and Miriam is established when they
are quite young. The friendship is initially based upon Paul's need
for criticism of his paintings. Miriam is religious and romantic but
not sexually attractive. Paul mostly brings his paintings to Miriam
for criticism and she eagerly waits for him to learn something new
about life. But Paul is unsuccessful in arousing her sexual
instructions out of the strong influence of his mother. For instance,
when both of them are in bed, Paul feels extremely dissatisfied
with her and he leaves her.
Paul and Clara
Paul Clara relationship is quite an opposite of Paul Miriam
connection. Clara is hungry for sex. Her body is an invitation card
for having sex. Paul is immediately charmed by her swelling
breasts and plump arms. For a short period of time, Paul believes
that he has attained an absolute bliss but he cannot get his
intellectual demands fulfilled from Clara and she returns to her
husband as Paul cannot satisfy her sexual hunger while her
husband can.
Conclusion
After the death of his mother, Paul is left alone and broken. He has
no one to share his feelings and ideas. He has left Miriam and
Clara leaves him. Although he tries in vain to go back to the village
and start painting. But he has lost the courage to do so. He is
left"with a drift towards death", as Lawrence puts the final ending
of the hero.
Sources and Suggested Readings
1. Sons and Lovers - Study Guide by Famous Products - Page 97
2. Lecture of Sir Faisal
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Tags: Modern Novel
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