Sons and Lovers

A year has passed since William left for London. Now aged 14, Paul is preparing to finish school. Gertrude hears that Walter has been injured in the mine. He is in the hospital with a badly broken leg. After a difficult week in the hospital, Walter shows signs of recovery. Without him at home, however, the family is able to enjoy a break from his anger and violence. Paul steps into the role of the “man in the house” (85). Wondering what to do about his future, Paul does not know what type of job he wants. He enjoys artistic pursuits, such as painting and literature. He dreams of owning a small cottage where he could live with his mother. Gertrude encourages Paul to respond to job listings in the local newspaper.

Unlike Paul, William is not a quiet and sensitive young man. In contrast, his time in London has turned him into a fashionable, dashing young “gentleman” (87). Even though he is from a poor background, his easygoing charm allows him to move in sophisticated, wealthy social circles. Since he is ambitious, he studies Latin at night school between his various social endeavors. One evening, he attends a dance. There, he meets an attractive young woman named Louisa Denys Western, whom he calls Lily. William sends a photograph of Lily home to his mother, who is struck by her beautiful appearance as well as her bare shoulders. Gertrude is not impressed by this display of bare skin, quietly condemning Lily to herself.

A surgical supply company in Nottingham responds to one of Paul’s job applications. Gertrude helps Paul travel to the city to meet the company’s owner, Thomas Jordan. As they ride the train together, Paul thinks about how much he loves his mother. She offers him a “rare intimate smile” when they match each other’s gaze (89). In Nottingham, they walk to the meeting with “the excitement of lovers” on an adventure together (89). In the meeting, however, Jordan is curt and rude. He insults Paul’s handwriting and abruptly demands that he translate the contents of a letter from French into English. Paul struggles in this task, but Jordan offers him the job. He is hired as a junior spiral clerk, a role that involves copying letters and filling orders. Paul lives in fear of Jordan, but he very much enjoys his time in Nottingham. The many shops, the long canals, and the city’s castle are very different from the small mining town where he was raised. Paul must spend a lot of money on his train ticket each month. Gertrude, offering to help, notes that William had promised to send her money, but she believes that he spends it all on that “brazen hussy” (93), Lily.

Paul begins work at the surgical supply company. He reports directly to Mr. Pappleworth, and, most days, Paul sits at a desk in a dark corner of the factory, copying letters into a book. Mr. Pappleworth criticizes Paul for being slow and criticizes his handwriting. However, he continues to show Paul the many tasks involved in the role. Gradually, Paul comes to appreciate his new job. His work improves, and he becomes acquainted with the other staff members. A girl named Polly becomes close with Paul, offering to heat up his food as they eat together. The girls who work in the factory are fond of Paul. They enjoy the stories about his hometown and his jokes. While Paul likes all the factory girls, a girl named Connie stands out to him. Her flowing red hair catches his eye. He also makes friends with Fanny, a “hunchback” whom he often sits beside while he waits for his next task (102). To Paul, the company has a “homely feel” (107).

Arthur develops into a strong and lively boy, but he inherits his father’s carelessness and impulsiveness. He dislikes work, and his quick temper causes him to fly into unexpected rages. Arthur loathes his father, who has turned into a mean and deplorable man whom Arthur considers to be a “dirty nuisance” (109). Arthur is awarded a scholarship at a Nottingham grammar school (a state school that offers a limited number of places to academically gifted children). During the week, he stays with his aunt and attends school in the city before returning home for the weekend. His older sister, Annie, is a teacher in a different school. Paul is as attached to his mother as ever, to the point where everything in his life is an expression of his devotion to her. In London, William proposes to Lily. He has spent a large sum of money on an engagement ring. When William and Lily visit the Morels for the Christmas holidays, Lily’s refined, elegant air is out of place in the working-class community. She talks extensively about London and barely regards the Morel family as people. Such working-class people, her attitude suggests, are mere “creatures” (111). William dislikes the way his fiancée treats his siblings like servants.

Paul’s long, isolated working hours take a toll on his health, though he receives a pay rise. When he offers to take his mother to visit her friend, he praises his mother’s new blouse and reveals his excitement to be going out with such “a fine little woman” (116). Paul takes his mother to visit Mrs. Leivers in her family home, Willey Farm, where her three sons and daughter, Miriam, are also present. Paul disregards the bullying brothers and strikes up a friendship with Miriam.

When William and Lily pay another visit to the Morel family, William notices Lily asking Annie to do her laundry, and he feels conflicted about Lily’s attitudes. He alternates between feelings of love and hate. During one conversation, he frustratedly exclaims that Lily cannot read. While he is well read, Lily knows little more than “love-making and chatter” (123). William resents Lily’s lack of intelligence. When he speaks to his mother, he reveals that Lily has no concept of money, as she comes from a wealthy background. Gertrude prompts her son to reconsider the marriage, but he feels as though he should stick to his word, even if he feels conflicted. Before they leave, Lily and William have a fight in front of Gertrude. After, as William comforts Lily, he realizes that he does not love her. In the ensuing months, his letters to his mother become “unnatural and intense” as he is consumed by bitterness (126). When he pays his family a visit, they notice that he seems sick. He develops a rash on his neck, and once he is back in London, his condition worsens.

Gertrude receives a telegram warning her that William is very ill. She rushes to London and discovers that William is unconscious. He has been inside his apartment for two days, and “no one had been with him” (127). A doctor examines William and diagnoses him with pneumonia. Just hours later, William dies. His body is taken back north to be buried. Gertrude is distraught. For the following three months, she can do nothing but grieve for her son who died alone and abandoned. Paul cannot break through her grief. When he returns home for Christmas, he mentions to his mother that he also feels sick. Soon, he is also diagnosed with pneumonia. His trips to and from work have taken a toll on him. As Paul slips in and out of consciousness, Gertrude holds him in her arms. Her anguished cries seem to revive Paul, whose will is bolstered by his mother’s love. He recovers, and, in doing so, he helps Gertrude return to health. As Paul returns to full health, he is closer than ever to his mother, and their lives are bound together.