Discuss the male characters in Sons and Lovers and the effect they have on Paul Morel.

1. SONS AND LOVERS
Discuss the male characters in Sons and
Lovers and the effect they have on Paul
Morel.
Paul Morel is a protagonist of novel. Quiet, shy, reserved by nature but intensely passionate and
emotional.KnowsFrenchandenjoyspainting.Enjoysstayinghome withhismotherduringthe evenings
rather than playing outside. Whenat work, Paul is absorbed by the activities and the people,especially
the factory girls.Has an off-and-onrelationshipwithMiriamLeiversforsevenyears.Hatesandlovesher
at the same time. Miriam expects him to love her as passionately and deeplyas she loves him, but Paul
doesnotfeel anysexualattractiontoher.EndsrelationshipwithMiriamandbeginsonewithClaraDawes,
a married woman separated from her husband. He and Clara have a very sexual relationship. Theyend
theirinvolvementtogetherwhenClaradecidesthatshe wantsto returnto her husband.The purpose of
thisassignment,the focuswill beondiscussingthe malecharactersinSonsandLoversandthe effectthey
have on Paul Morel.
• Walter Morel
Father of Paul Morel, husband of Gertrude Morel. Works as a miner. His temper is susceptible to quick
angerand emotion.Whenhe wascourtingGertrude,he wasahandsome manandafine dancer.Hiswife
hates him because he gets to enjoy himself drinking while she stays home caring for the children.
Gertrude'shatredfor herhusbandbeginswithhisexcessivedrunkenfitsandhistemper.Morel doesnot
have a close relationship to any of his children.
“WalterMorel,anEnglishcollierinmanywaystypical of theliteraryimage of thelower-classworkingman.
He is not interested in the arts, in matters of the intellect, or even greatly in his work, which for him is
merely a source of income. He is a creature who lives for whatever pleasures he can find in eating,
drinking, and his bed. At first a warmly vital man, he later becomes rough and brutal to his family and
fights with them verballyand physically. His wife, after the first glow of marriage fades, means little to
him because of her puritanical attitudes and regard for culture, and he becomes alienated from his
children. Hisone creative joyismendingoddbits of householdequipmentandhiswork clothing.He has
been a coal miner since boyhood, and a coal miner he is content to be.” (Anonymous, 2017)

2. • William Morel
“The first Morel child. Mrs. Morel transfers her affections for her husband to William. She is horrified
when her husband cuts off William's blond curls.William is a gifted, intelligent and handsome child and
teenager, easily finding jobsand earning a salary. Becomes involved with Bestwoodand London society
and engagedto LouisaLily DanysWestern.Hates the way Lilytreats hisfamily,especiallyAnnie.William
dies before he can marry Lily, but he never truly loved her anyway.” (D.H. Lawrence, 2017)
The effecthe have onPaul Morel isthat,asPaul grows older,he becomesslimmerandmore delicatethan
his older brother William, and starts to follow his mother around like a shadow. After William’s death,
Paul becomes his mother’s favorite and struggles throughout the novel to balance his love for her with
his relationships with other women. Another effect is that, Mrs. Morel pays less attention to Paul after
William's death.
• Baxter Dawes
“Clara's husband. He also works at Thomas Jordan's. He and Paul have a tense, hateful relationship, yet
theyare boundtoeach otherforsome reason.Aftertheyfighteachothera couple of time,theymanage
to form a companionship.Dawes and Paul are sympathetic to each other's suffering and worries.” (D.H.
Lawrence, 2017)
The effecthe have on Paul Morel isthat, He seesPaul drinkinginabar withsome friends.Daweshasnot
beendoingsowell lately.Paul,thoughhisenemy,wantstobefriendDawes.Dawesmakesareferenceto
Paul'stheaterdate the othernight,thoughhe doesn'treveal tothe othermenwho Paul'sdate was.The
men want to know who it was, and Dawes incites Paul, who throws his beer in Dawes's face. Dawes is
thrownout.Nowwe canseethatatfirst,BaxterhatesPaulforhissmugness:"Findingthe lad'simpersonal,
deliberategaze of anartist onhisface,he got intoa fury"(8.124). See,Baxter's"whole mannerof cowed
defiance,asif he were readyto knockanybodydownwhodisapprovedof him"(8.124).He doesn'tlike it
whenanyone actssuperiortohim,butespeciallysome artsylittletwerplike Paul.He fightswithPaul,but
they later become friends while he is ill.
• Arthur Morel
Arthur, the youngest Morel son also Paul’s younger brother is exceptionally handsome, but also
immature.Aswiththe otherkids,though,ArthureventuallylosesthisaffectionforWalter.He alsohas a
reallyshorttemper,lacksdiscipline,andcan't stand beingtoldwhat to do. Or, in otherwords: He rashly
enters the military, and it takes a while until he gets out. He marries Beatrice.

3. He is also wildly impulsive, antagonistic, emotional and temperamental. He recklessly joins the army at
the advice of hisfriendbut begshismotherto buy himout as soonas she can. The strict militaryregime
does not discipline him enough. He has sex with his girl, Beatrice, before they marry. At first, Arthur
distanceshimself fromhis wife and baby, but he soon realizes his role and responsibilities as a father.
• Edgar Leivers
Miriam's elder brother whose companionship Paul enjoys. The Leivers become like a second family to
Paul.Soon,the daughterMiriam growsclosestto the sensitive,artisticyouth.The two share long,idyllic
walksthroughthe countryside,talkingandreadingtoeach other.Paul helpsMiriamovercome hermany
physical fears,suchas climbingfencesandlettingthe barnyardchickenseatoutof her hand.He teaches
her French and algebra, opening up a new, exciting world. Miriam appeals to Paul's own growing
mysticism and creativity and loves nurturing Paul's artistic growth. They experience an intense
relationship but don't know how to express it physically.
• Thomas Jordan
The elderly manufacturer whose company, Thomas Jordan & Sons, Surgical Appliances, Paul works at.
The effecthe have onPaul isthatPaul dislikeshimfromtheirfirstinterviewbecausehe isrude andmakes
Paul look foolish. He later fires Baxter Dawes because he knocks him down a flight of stairs.
• Mr. Pappleworth Paul's boss at Thomas Jordan's.
• Leonard
Annie's husband.
• Mr. Heaton
The Congregational clergyman who visits with Mrs. Morel every day after Paul is born. He is Paul’s
godfather. The effect he have on Paul is that he teaches him French, German, and mathematics

4. • John Field
A man with whom Gertrude is friendly whenshe is nineteen. He gives her a Bible, which she keeps for
the rest of her life. From John she learns that “being a man isn’t everything.”
References
Anonymous. (2017, August 08). Enotes. Retrieved from Enotes Web site:
https://www.enotes.com/topics/sons-lovers/characters
D.H. Lawrence. (2017, August 07). Bookrags. Retrieved from Bookrags Web sites:
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/snl/chr.html#gsc.tab=0