FEMINIST ELEMENTS IN THE OPENING CHAPTERS OF D. H. LAWRENCE’S SONS AND LOVERS

Abstract

Feminism has been a prevailing theme in the study of literature, with virtually all literary works bearing some traces of women experiences, struggle, and survival. Sons and Lovers by Lawrence is the tragic and miserable life of Mrs. Morel, the main female character of the novel, which provides a very fertile area to feminist analysis. The following small-scale study, Elements of Feminism in the First Three Chapters of D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers, is a qualitative study using close reading and theoretical framework of feminism. It concentrates on the first three chapters of the novel to explore how feminist issues are entrenched in the novel. The discussion shows that the story is full of feministic elements especially in terms of portraying the domestic violence, marriage conflict and the miserable life of Mrs. Morel. Additionally, it highlights the larger picture of the position of women in a patriarchal society, in depicting how women are subjugated, swindled, intimidated, and exploited by men. Accordingly, the paper presents the way Lawrence quietly but extensively explores the issue of feminism at the beginning of the novel.