In D.H. Lawrence's novel Sons and Lovers the marriage of Gertrude and Walter Morel began in a whirlwind, and for many wrong reasons. It comes to no surprise that, considering the weak foundations upon which it was built, it crumbled down shortly after it was consummated.
“for three months she was perfectly happy: for six months she was very happy.”
The quote above shows clearly that there was a pattern of decline that set on from the very beginning in the mutual emotions of the couple. We learn that Gertrude, a woman of a humble but well-educated family, is very much a product of her time. Clever and bright, she married miner Walter because of a powerful physical attraction, because this was what was expected of women of her time after being courted, and because Walter was different than her father, who was the only man she could have possibly known.
However, after that first attraction, came the children, the financial problems, and the plenty of unpaid bills that Gertrude...
(The entire section contains 592 words.)
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