How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The mother and son walked down Station Street, feeling the excitement of lovers having an adventure together. (5.92)
If Lawrence only compared Paul and Mrs. Morel to lovers one time, we could write it off as a clumsy oversight. But when Lawrence does this sort of thing over and over, we have no choice as readers but to accept the fact that he is obviously trying to make a deeper point. We think the point is: maybe mothers and sons can sometimes be too close.
Quote #8
Paul looked into Miriam's eyes. She was pale and expectant with wonder, her lips were parted, and her dark eyes lay open to him. His look seemed to travel down into her. Her soul quivered. It was the communion she wanted. He turned aside, as if pained. (7.244)
Paul loves Miriam, and Miriam loves Paul. There's no doubt about that. The problem is that Paul wants to love Miriam while remaining his own man, while Miriam wants the two of them to basically merge into a single person. And Paul's mother has taught him that he must be independent to achieve great things in the world. Conundrum.
Quote #9
She felt she could bear anything for him; she would suffer for him. She put her hand on his knee as he leaned forward in his chair. He took it and kissed it; but it hurt to do so. He felt he was putting himself aside. He sat there sacrificed to her purity, which felt more like nullity. (11.2)
Paul and Miriam face the same basic conflict over and over again. Miriam wants to merge with Paul and form a single union, while Paul can't help but withdraw from this kind of intensity. He also hates the fact that Miriam wants to be so passive in their relationship. He wants her to show some sort of initiative, to step up and claim him as her own. But she'll never do this. She wants to sacrifice herself to him, because that feeling of sacrifice is what makes her feel like she's better than other people. This is a pretty sticky bind, folks. No wonder they never unravel it.