![]() In this setup, Baxter Dawes can be seen as an imposing father figure his savage beating of Paul, then, can be viewed as Paul's unconsciously desired punishment for his guilt. The older, independent Clara, especially, is a failed maternal substitute for Paul. However, Paul cannot love either woman nearly as much as he does his mother, though he does not always realize that this is an impediment to his romantic life. Paul assuages his guilty, incestuous feelings by transferring them elsewhere, and the greatest receivers are Miriam and Clara (note that transference is another Freudian term). Completing the Oedipal equation, Paul murderously hates his father and often fantasizes about his death. Lawrence writes many scenes between the two that go beyond the bounds of conventional mother-son love. Paul is hopelessly devoted to his mother, and that love often borders on romantic desire. Lawrence was aware of Freud's theory, and Sons and Lovers famously uses the Oedipus complex as its base for exploring Paul's relationship with his mother. ![]() (The female version is called the Electra complex.)ĭ.H. Freud argued that these repressed desires are present in most young boys. In the story, Oedipus is prophesied to murder his father and have sex with his mother (and he does, though unwittingly). ![]() Perhaps Sigmund Freud's most celebrated theory of sexuality, the Oedipus complex takes its name from the title character of the Greek play Oedipus Rex. ![]()
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