Discussion #3: Themes in Lady Chatterley's Lover

[Alisa Cooper]

Last week we started the discussion of themes in Lady Chatterley's Lover. This week we will continue this discussion now that you have had a chance to finish the novel. What themes do you see in the novel? Do you recognize the themes mentioned in the handout? Add your thoughts and add your own themes discovered.

Themes:

• Love and Relationships between Men and Women,
• Rebirth/Renewal
• Industrialization

[Caitlin]

I defiantly agree with the theme of self exploration. It seemed through the whole book Connie was struggling with her emotions and thoughts. She explores different love affairs, her feelings about men and sex, she even goes explores her feelings on the upper class verses the lower. She does a lot of growing throw the book. As Ruth says about the theme being love and relationships is also true. Had she found some one that she could be intellectual with as well as sexual she would of been happy and had no need to continue searching. But one without the other left her half empty.

[Jake Lough]

I agree with Renee and Caitlin the book was about regrets, love, sex, and life. I didint pick up on the industrial side of it at all. As far as self exploration the best examples would have to be Connie and Mellors. Connie struggles on what life to live. Stay in her current unhappy but respectable life. Our be with Mellors a happy loveing life. Mellors self exploration has more to do more with his past relationship. He had to decide if he wanted to be with a women again and especially his bosses wife.

[Kathy Montoya]

I love your theme of self exploration. Clifford and Connie are constantly self exploring themselves as they go through their rebirth/renewals and degeneration. Isn't self exploration how we learn about ourselves? I don't think Clifford was too happy to learn who he had become but whatever he was doing, it was working for him so he continued with it. Mellors was so sure of himself on what he wanted in life and that came from self exploration.

[Caitlin]

I agree. We all go through self exploration thoughtout life and that is how we learn and grow. It did seem as if Mellors was so sure of himself and had done a lot of self exploring in his past relationship with his wife. But when Connie came a long he had to do some more. He knew he didn't want to be hurt again or go through the ups and downs of love but he couldn't fight it. It seems like life would just be easier without love and relationships but we can run or stay away from it, it's part of life. "LOVE makes life so confusing, but without love would we really want to live?"

[Ruth]

I think one of the main themes is love and relationships between Men and Women in this case Connie and Mellor and Clifford. What I saw was that in the beginning of the book Clifford and Connie had only an intellectual relationship with each other they seem to be in "love" and later on in the book Mellor and Connie had only a physical relationship even though they too seem to be in "love a great example is when Connie would ask him if he loved her; he would never say he loved her, he would say he loved her body but never her. It just goes to show that relationships between men and women can't just be about intellect because it is not enough for a relationship to last and it can't just be about the physical because again it can't last. I think H.D. Lawrence is saying that it has to be about both mind and body to have real love.

[Julie]

Ruth,
I agree with your post in that Clifford and Connie weren't in true love. I think since both of them had never really had a serious relationship before meeting each other, they got their intellectual infatuation confused with what they thought might be love. It seems also like they rushed into their marriage a bit before they really even got to know the other. I can see your point about how Lawrence may be trying to get at you need to have a physical and mental relationship to find true love,but I think Connie and Mellors were on their way to getting there. It seems like they had ideas that they shared and were interested in each others' well being beyond their sexuality. Maybe the several months of time wasn't time enough for them to develop a true love bond, but I think if they continued to be together, it would grow into a more real relationship that they'd both be happy in.

[laura]

One theme that i recongonized throughout the novel is the importance of the color. D.H.Lawrence repeadidly brings up the color of the characters eyes, he also brings up the color blue in the woods. Connie, Clifford, and Mellors is stated that they indeed have blue eyes. I think D.H. Lawrence puts the importance of the eye color to these characters because those three characters are the main focus of the story. Differentated from the rest, because if i remember correctly Mrs.Bolton had grey eyes which made me feel as if she wasnt important but just as a background or a prop almost. But their blue eyes to me is a special attribute because not often you see many people with blue eyes, its seen as a beauty. Also with the color blue in the woods, Connie who has an attachment with it comes across blue flowers when she is walking though the woods with clifford. And how Cliffords wheels on "her" (his wheelchair) were crushing the blue flowers gives me the symbolic feeling that Clifford is very powerful even more than just the people are him but the flowers that were preious to Connie and it just feels like Connie is done she hates his control and his black or white thinking.

[Julie]

I noticed this too! I wanted to do a blog post on it but couldn't think how. He mentioned yellow a lot too when Connie was feeling happy, or when a good thing may happen soon.

[Renee Stein]

That is very interesting Laura... I guess maybe I didn't pay close enough attention to notice it. Mrs. Bolton's grey eyes is most definitely important to the fact that she is less important to the storyline. Clifford crushing the blue flowers is completely a show of power.

[laura]

There are so many relationships thoughout the story between men and women. Starting with Connie and the man she dated aroung age 18 who had died in the war. Connies sister, Hilda whome she was right along with Connie on their fights with the men. But soon forgot about them in 1914. A little later in life (23yrs) Connie and Clifford are together, nothing is too bad until 2 years later hes paralyzed which from that point on their relationship goes in a downward spiral. In this cause it causes another relationship between Connie and Michaelis (1st affair) which was a short fullfillment, ending badly. *Connie seems to be always scoping out her oportunitites with me, even with Cliffords crew tomy, Hammon, and Charles and see's them as little inspired, selfish, and messy. Soon enough while going to the woods meets Mellors the keeper to Cliffords land. They soon have a love relationship which pulls Connie completely way from Clifford eventually. Im pretty sure in chapter six it was that there was a conversation about the guine liking of the man and woman and if you have somtihng in common with each other, make love. This is what i see in Connie, all her desires, love and talk is verry evident in this novel.

[Ruth]

Yeah I think you make a good point, for the most part Connie even in the first chapters of the book she is just going from guy to guy even when she was younger. And then she gets married so fast with Clifford, no wonder after only 2 years it didn't work out. I think Connie and Clifford weren't right for each other from the start. And even with all of that I find Connie's character very intersting, bacause it makes you wonder why she really married him and what was she really searching each time she had an affair. Was it love? and if so what kinda of love ? a love from a man or a baby?

[laura]

I see money play a big role in this novel. People always say "money doesnt bring you happiness", and this is shown through Connie. Even though she wasnt the richest of her class she was shown throughout her yonger years an artist and socialism point of view (which is also said to be an unconvientional upbringing). And for Clifford wore handsome neckties that were, "wonderfully precious", better bred than connie but very reserved. Clifford even with his wealth Connie is unhappy and looks for ways out. But when she finds Mellors, who works for Clifford lives in a cottage (instead of cold empty wragby) all by himself she falls for him gaining her self assurance that love is out there and she has it.