Lawrence #2

D.H. Lawrence characterizes a woman of the Brangwens family as wistful and

unsatisfied, contrary to the complacent nature of her most men. Throughout the
excerpt, Brangwen men are continually portrayed as simple and easily satisfied
individuals. The opening statement of the essay states that the basic offerings of
lifea livelihood (farming), food to eat, and common experiencesare enough for
the men (1). These men are stagnant, and they desire no more from life than what
they were given. Lawrence does not label a specific individual with this stereotype,
but he rather refers to the aggregate of Brangwen men throughout the piece in
order to stress the broad truth of his statements. Lawrence also uses metaphor to
express his ideas about a typical rural man by comparing the crop-centric direction
of their houses with their aspirations to be a farmer and no more.
In start contrast to the narrowsighted men of the Brangwens family, the
woman desires more from life. Continuing his previous metaphor, Lawrence states
that her house faced the magic landwhere secrets were made known and desires
fulfilled (21-22). The men who reside in this land are dominant and creative (23),
and she yearns to be like them. While she sits in the front of her house, watching the
developments of proactive man, her husband looked out of the back at sky and
harvest and beast and land (32-33), at the things familiar to him. It is evident that
she currently feels restrained by her circumstance, but this does not stop her from
dreaming that if not in herself,.her children (57-58) could prosper. Once again,
this female is referenced anonymously in order to stress the ubiquitous nature of
these ideas amongst all females.
As the woman continues to analyze the outside world, she fixates on a man
she calls the vicar (40). She is aware that the vicar may not be imposing in terms
of his physical stature, but that the vicar had yet a quickness and range of being
that made Brangwens, in his large geniality, seem dull and local (49-50). Though
she obviously loves her husband, she knows that he is not intelligent and innovative
like the vicar. She knows that men like the vicar reside in positions of power, and
that while Brangwens had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her
husband (53-54). In this statement Brangwens is portrayed as an animal (cattle)
being controlled by a superior force, paralleling his own relationship with his farm
animals. The woman concludes that knowledge is the intangible quality possessed
by the vicar that makes him powerful. She knows that if she can become educated,
she can achieve this higher being (57).