Sons and Lovers

Paul goes out drinking with his friends. They are in a bar named the Punch Bowl when Clara’s husband, Baxter, enters. He has recently been left by his mistress, and he has spent time in jail after fighting in public. Paul works with Baxter, so he offers to buy Baxter a drink. Baxter refuses. When Paul attempts to return to his conversation, however, Baxter interrupts to quiz him about his experiences at the theatre recently. Paul was spotted in his formal attire, Baxter reveals, and the patrons in the bar mock Paul. When one asks for the identity of his companion, implying that she must have been a “tart” (314), Paul refuses to reveal that he was with Clara. When Baxter’s jokes go too far, however, Paul throws a drink in Baxter’s face. The two men fight until the bouncer intervenes, telling Baxter to leave. Paul returns home, hopeful that his mother will not discover what happened. He has developed a life that is separate from his mother, which he could never have envisioned happening when he was younger. This emergence of his “sexual life” has created a gulf of silence between them (316). Paul, feeling defensive, cannot help but hate his mother on these occasions.