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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how D.H. Lawrence entwines women and nature in Sons and Lovers, revealing gendered hierarchies where nature veils women as mere catalysts. Through an ecofeminist lens, it critiques the construction of the feminine and explores alternative readings of human–nonhuman relations.

Paper long abstract

This paper explores how D.H. Lawrence intertwines women and nature in Sons and Lovers, examining the intersections of marginalization, ecofeminism, and gendered agency. Women in the novel often function as catalysts for the transformation of male protagonists, while nature mystifies and mediates their autonomy. For instance, Mrs. Morel undergoes mystical, transformative experiences: herself “melts out like scent into the shiny, pale air” in the garden (p.34), and she offers her infant son to the sun in a ritualistic gesture (p.51). These scenes reveal how Lawrence entwines women’s desires and emotions with natural imagery, yet uses nature to obscure their struggles and ambitions, positioning them primarily to serve the male narrative.

Miriam’s portrayal reflects a similar dynamic. As a solitary, almost divine figure, her intimacy with flowers and the natural world signifies spiritual autonomy, yet it remains largely unacknowledged or rejected by Paul. Throughout the novel, Lawrence stages a process of elimination: removing rivals such as Mr. Morel, Lily, and Miriam, to ensure women’s centrality revolves around male development. These examples demonstrate how gendered oppression and the exploitation of nature intersect, with women’s ties to the natural world deployed to advance male growth rather than affirm their own experiences or identities.

By interrogating these human–nonhuman entanglements, this study contributes to ecofeminist scholarship, offering alternative readings of women’s agency, relationality, and the ethical complexities of nature in literature. Ultimately, Sons and Lovers serve as a critical site to examine how male literary imagination constructs, constrains, and ritualizes female experience within ecological narratives.