Lady Chatterley's Lover

“We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.”

This quotation occurs at the start of the novel, introducing the post-World War I setting and the thematic concern of the unhappiness of modern life. All of the characters in the novel have to grapple with the disruption and violence of the war, and most of them find it hard to maintain optimism in the face of what has happened. The quotation, however, articulates a viewpoint that will drive Connie to attempt to find happiness, pleasure, and new life despite everything that has happened. She does not want to give up. The quotation also alludes to the biological reality of wanting to survive and reproduce, which arguably drives Connie and Mellors to pursue a sexual relationship and eventually conceive a child together.

“To get away from the house…she must get away from the house and everybody. The wood was her one refuge, her sanctuary.”

This quotation occurs early in the novel, during the early years of Connie and Clifford’s marriage, when she is still very devoted to him. The quotation reveals that Connie grows increasingly restless and stifled with her isolated life, long before she begins having affairs. The quotation also establishes the significance of the natural world as a place where Connie can be free and connected to her authentic self. The house represents social constructions and social norms, including marriage and monogamy, whereas the woods will be a place where Connie can follow her natural instincts and have an authentic experience of sexuality and desire.