This document provides an overview of D.H. Lawrence's novel Sons and Lovers and analyzes the Oedipus complex of the main character Paul Morel. It first introduces Lawrence and gives a brief summary of Sons and Lovers. It then reviews Freud's concept of the Oedipus complex before analyzing the close relationship between Paul and his mother and their conflicts. It concludes that Paul failed to properly resolve his Oedipus complex due to unhealthy family dynamics and social conditions brought on by industrialization.

2.  1. Introduction
 1.1 About D.H. Lawrence
 1.2 About Sons and Lovers
 2. A general review of Oedipus Complex
 3. Paul’s Oedipus Complex
 3.1 The relationship between Paul and his mother
 3.2 The conflicts between Paul and his mother
 4. Conclusion

3. 1.1 About D.H. Lawrence: D. H. Lawrence, is one of the
most original and controversial English writers of the 20th
century. He was considered one of the “makers” of modern
English fiction.
Lawrence took human relationship, especially that of men and
women, as his major theme. His novels are full of scenes of
sensuous beauty, with a lot of naturalistic details.
1.2 About Sons and Lovers: Sons and Lovers (1913),
containing many autobiographical details, is
Lawrence‟s masterpiece and also his most popular
novel. It tells the story of a miner‟s family-the Morel
family. Mrs. Morel is disillusioned with her husband,
a coarse and hard-drinking miner. Therefore, she
places all her expectations on her sons.

4. This concept is introduced in Interpretation of Dreams
(1899), “referring to the two Greek legends: the
Theban hero Oedipus who unknowingly slew his
father and married his mother, and its female
analogue, Electra who helped slay her mother. If the
child can't smoothly pass through this mental stage,
there should occur an „infantile neurosis‟ that is an
important forerunner of similar reactions during the
child‟s adult life. The superego also has its origin in
the process of overcoming the Oedipus complex.
Freud considered the reactions against the Oedipus
Complex the most important social achievements of
the human mind.

5. • Paul’s passions upon his mother and the
mother’s upon him are quietly mutual. When he
3.1 The is together with his mother, his love spews like a
emotions fountain, and his inspiration flashes like a flame
between Paul
and his mother
• Paul quarrels with his mother this time instead of giving
up directly: “Well, I can’t help it. Their jaw isn’t so
almighty important, after all.”--“What can people say? ---
3.2 The that we talk together, I believe you’re jealous.”
conflicts • From these words, we know the conflicts between Paul
between Paul and his mother become clear.
and his mother • It’s the very relationship which changes Paul’s attitude
to his mother. It seems that he realizes the person is his
mother who destroys his happy life.

6. At the moment, it’s very clear for us to know Paul’s Oedipus
complex and its reasons. Actually, Paul has not become a normal
adult by getting over some problems like other children. That is
not only determined by his mother’s abnormal maternity. The
reasons are in many ways, some comes from the parents; some
comes from his sisters and brothers, some even from the society,
the mechanical civilization, which leads the family tragedy and
distortion of personality. Now, what can be sure is: it’s
impossible for the people living in a healthy family and healthy
environments to have abnormal and Complex emotional
problems. Surveying capitalist society, it is the very mechanical
civilization which makes people feel constrained; and tense pace
of life suffocates human nature.
So, it is easy to know, the terrible working conditions and living
states, which were brought by capitalist industrialization, is one
of the main reasons for Morel’s (Lawrence’s) family tragedy. It
devastated people’s healthy development on spirits.

7.  http://www.britannica.com/
 http://www.wikipedia.org/
 http://www.copernica.co.uk/
 http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/
Bibliography
 Lawrence ,D.H.. Selected Essays[M]. England: Penguin Books, 1950.
 Naven, Alastair. D.H. Lawrence: The Novels[M]. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1978.