Sons and Lovers Analysis

In the novel, Sons and Lovers, Paul Morel suffers from the psychological disorder called Oedipus complex. Although the disorder has many different causes, a traumatic event in the child's early life may have influenced the development of this disorder. It was presumed that this condition was a result of the unconscious sexual love of Paul's mother for her child, and his father's actions toward him.Plot
"Plot of sons and lovers" is a 1913 novel by D.H. Lawrence, and it is one of his most popular works. The plot is based on Lawrence's own life and is straightforward, as it chronicles the coming-of-age of a young boy named Paul Morel. Morel is a sensitive young artist who has two romantic relationships. The first, with his repressed religious girlfriend, Miriam Leivers, is a difficult experience. The second relationship involves an experienced married woman, Clara Dawes.Style
The genre of Bildungsroman is a subgenre of autobiography, and Sons and Lovers is a classic example. This genre involves the novelist's own early years, or "bildungsroman" for short. It is named after German novels about education, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, which chronicles the experiences of an innocent young man in the midst of school, home, and culture. The protagonist, Paul Morel, is forced to negotiate the tug of family and culture.Freud's psychosexual theory of oedipus complex
One aspect of the Oedipus complex is its link to the phallic phase of the theory. Freud believed that young boys may want to replace their father but cannot do so. They fear being castrated or emasculated by their father, through either literal or figurative authority. Because of their desire to be with their mother, they may also try to regain the affection of their father.