This is my Take Home Assignment for English Prose class in the fifth semester. Let's compare my writings in this essay with my recent writings! :D
Clifford Chatterley is an aristocrat which has introvert traits. He is depicted as the arrogant, dominant, and possessive man in the novel. He was born in the upper-class with a pit of his family’s legacy to be maintained. For he is the only heir of Chatterley family because his brother is dead in the war (Lawrence, 1928: 44), his whole life is served by the middle-low class. His ambitious trait and his family’s wealth makes him become a successful man whose graduated from Cambridge majoring Technicalities of Coal-Mining (Lawrence, 1928: 43). Wragby, which is isolated from other building somehow builds his character to become a dull man. Moreover, after the accident happened to him in the war, he completely changes into a very introvert man. His paralysed body symbolizes the failure of his masculinity which destroys his confidence. Probably, his traits suddenly change because of his trauma of the war happened in that era. In fact, he is handsome and well-fed—everyone would love him. However, his traits destroy everyone’s expectation including Connie.
1. The Relationship Between Clifford and Connie
Clifford and Connie is not a suitable couple, unlike the other novels which tell about how compatible the couples are. Clifford and Connie has different arguments mostly because they came from different classes and age (Lawrence, 1928: 42-43). In their pre-marital life, Connie has more experiences in sexual intercourse with men (Lawrence, 1928: 39), while Clifford has no experience at all. This is the beginning of their conflict. There are numerous different argument from both characters which leads them to a bigger conflict. For instance, when Clifford and his titled friend are discussing what kind of perfect relationship looks like, Clifford states that the only thing matters in relationship is just the intimacy of both woman and man (Lawrence, 1928: 72). This contradicts Connie’s desire of sex, since she is really infatuates with sexual intercourse and physical touch. Furthermore, Clifford is the kind of person who loves to be heard, not to hear. He loves being praised by anyone including his wife, but he never really appreciates other (Lawrence, 1928: 50). Connie, in the opposite, loves to share her thoughts and discusses about their relationship, however, all Clifford ever care is just a formal discussion of his books (Lawrence, 1928: 187-188) and the heir as their subject of debate. He thought that these topics could create intimacy between them.
Clifford is just a crippled man who needs Connie’s assistance in almost any Clifford needs. This soon makes Connie tired and bored (Lawrence, 1928: 54). Before she gets married, Connie is a liberal woman which loves to explore, and she thinks that she has changed her lifestyle eversince she arrived in Wragby (Lawrence, 1928: 55). In contradicts, Clifford is a measured man who loves to live orderly, so they have different traits.
In Clifford’s deepest heart, he knows that he will not produce any heir because of his crippled penis. So, he implicitly lets Connie to produce baby from other man who comes from upper-class too (Lawrence, 1928: 81-83). This is the irony of their relationship, however, Clifford still needs her to strengthen him (Lawrence, 1928: 16-17). Their distance becomes farer than it should because the existence of Mrs. Bolton, so that Clifford feels the intimacy moved from Connie to Mrs. Bolton (Lawrence, 1928: 125). This is the moment when Connie cheats on Clifford with their gamekeeper. Connie gets both of Mellors’s attention and body which she hopes that it was Clifford.
Clifford’s lack of attention to Connie makes their relationship becomes more complex. Connie was so depressed all these time, but after she met Mellors, she finally shows her true colors to anyone in Wragby. Stupidly, Clifford does not realize that her mood alteration comes from another man. This also the time when Clifford is finally aged, he looks more pale and energyless (Lawrence, 1928: 190). Until the time that Clifford is busy spending time with Mrs. Bolton (Lawrence, 1928: 191), he finally lose the intimacy of their marriage. Connie, on the other side, spends most of her time in the woods eversince she gets the key of the hut, exploring new things which is her nature hobby (Lawrence, 1928: 159). They are busy cater their own ego.
There is a time when Connie compares Mellors and Clifford (Lawrence, 1928: 213), which reveals that Connie loves them both. Connie wants Mellors’s body and his sex qualifications, on the other side, Connie wants Clifford’s face and social status—she wants them in one person to be acquired.
Clifford, in fact, can not develop himself when he is with Connie. Clifford changed into a better man when there is Mrs. Bolton around him (Lawrence, 1928: 144-145). He finally gets his “why” is he studied in Technicalities Coal-Mining and “why” should he maintain his family’s pit. He knows that Connie might have lover(s) out there, however, it would be embarassing to him to let Connie leave him. So when Connie writes a letter to him about her leaving (Lawrence, 1928: 358-359), he cries not only because Connie is about to leave, but Connie was successfully wrecks his masculinity by having heir from his gamekeeper (Lawrence, 1928: 367-368). Connie, is the only one who symbolizes his masculinity. By having a wife, Clifford would not be looked as a totally crippled man. This also signs that their relationship was just for Clifford’s status and pride, Clifford needs to be near Connie because he needs to be accompanied, and probably Connie is just adores Clifford’s maturity and knowledge rather that Mellors who comes from the lower class.
We can conclude that their lack of communication and openness lead them into conflicts. They remain silence and try not to utter what their feeling and keep each other’s sentiment. If only they could be open to each other and be communicative, they probably would not ended up like this.
2. The Relationship Between Clifford and Ivy Bolton
The arrival of Mrs. Bolton suddenly changes everything in Wragby. She helps Clifford in almost everything, simply replaces Connie’s role in her domestic affairs. At first, Clifford feels uncomfortable being taken care by Mrs. Bolton (Lawrence, 1928: 121-122). Mrs. Bolton is rather special slave—she is polite and know how to services upper-class like The Chatterleys because she dedicate herself in nursing the upper-class (Lawrence, 1928: 122). Other than that, Mrs. Bolton has more patience than Connie, so Clifford feels comfortable being taken care by her in a short time (Lawrence, 1928: 125).
However, her personality is slightly shady. She keeps her grudge of losing her husband whose died because of working in Chatterley’s pit years ago (Lawrence, 1928: 123). As soon as she realizes that there is something wrong between Lord Clifford and his Ladyship, she feels like she has the ‘power’ of her innerself, so that she keeps silence when she reveals the truth that Connie has affair with Mellors (Lawrence, 1928: 196).
Clifford himself thinks that Mrs. Bolton is just like the other Wragby staffs; an unimportant thing. However, when Mrs. Bolton starts talking about Tevershall and the people who live there, he finds her interesting so he lets Mrs. Bolton talks and he listens more (Lawrence, 1928: 145)—something that he would not do to his noble friends or Connie. He starts to be aware of his father’s legacy because of the news of his pit were brought by Mrs. Bolton (Lawrence, 1928: 146 & 149) or we could say that Mrs. Bolton influences Clifford’s way of thinking indirectly so that he is now aware about outside Wragby (Lawrence, 1928: 153-154).
Soon, Clifford starts to compare his wife and Mrs. Bolton (Lawrence, 1928: 156). He feels free and happier when he is around Mrs. Bolton, technically because Mrs. Bolton loves to hear any unimportant words of Clifford and she would genuinely do anything her Lord asked. Dissimiliar with Connie, Mrs. Bolton could treat men, especially Clifford, with a special treatment; she thinks that men are big babies (Lawrence, 1928: 143 & 362).
Their relationship is kind of complex, both of Clifford and Mrs. Bolton wants to control each other in different ways. Mrs. Bolton silently keeps finding the evidences of Connie having affair with Mellors—she is really good in investigating Connie (Lawrence, 1928: 218 & 294). She could just tell what she has found to Clifford, but she wants to make sure that her master would get Geoffrey’s karma after abandoning Ted, her husband. Even more so, she plays an important role after Connie left. She becomes the substitute of Connie, the only one who stays beside Clifford when he suffers from mental breakdown (Lawrence, 1928: 361-363).
In the end, we could say that Mrs. Bolton is the winner of the mastery competition over Clifford (Lawrence 1928: 363) after Connie left. In the end, after the masculinity of Clifford is successfully destroyed, Mrs. Bolton is the only servant who is loyal to him. Her grudge is successfully avenged, she is the master of her master.
3. The Relationship Between Clifford and Mellors
Mellors was a former-colliers of Geoffrey’s pit before he went to the war and became a gamekeeper (Lawrence, 1928: 87). Mellors is just a shady character who comes from the lower-class, so Clifford keep their distance as the master and servant. They rarely talk or meet—they might probably meet coincidentally. Clifford sees Mellors as completely introverted lower-class man, and his attitude of not allowing Connie to visit the hut is totally inappropriate (Lawrence, 1928: 135-136).
Otherwise, Mellors keeps the distance to anyone including his Lord and Ladyship by using his weird accent which causes people uncomfortable when talking with him (Lawrence, 1928: 136). This is the only way to keep people off him, because he does not want to make friends with anyone.
Their conversation in the woods when Clifford’s wheelchair stuck signs that Clifford just presume Mellors as his servant. He does not really care about Mellors’s pneumonia and keeps enforce him to push the wheelchair (Lawrence, 1928: 247-248). At last, after finds out that Connie has sexual intercourse with his own gamekeeper and Mellors could easily produces heir, Clifford feels terribly humiliated (Lawrence, 1928: 368). The lower-class were just an unimportant thing in Clifford’s viewpoint, but somehow, Mellors bravely made a scandal with his own wife. This also signs that Mellors took over Clifford’s symbol of masculinity, Connie. After all these time Clifford humiliates Mellors, this is the moment when he gets his own revenge is by mocking Clifford’s crippled penis.
4. The Relationship Between Clifford and Wragby Hall’s staffs, Tavershall Village & Tavershall Pit
At first, Clifford whose born as the upper-class, makes a clear boundary between Wragby and Tavershall Village. He never really communicates with other people outside Wragby, so does Connie (Lawrence, 1928: 48). Clifford sees other people as a thing, so he treats Tevershall Village inhabitant indifferently. Probably, this phenomena is just because the social class is a thing in the novel’s era. The villagers are too scared to get close to Wragby’s people, so they would rather stay away (Lawrence, 1928: 48). Once he said that Tavershall Village are full of foul low-people (Lawrence, 1928: 329) and people in Tavershall pit as tin people (Lawrence, 1928: 278).
Even more so, after Clifford’s lower body is paralyzed, he never really maintain his pit. He would rather invite his noble colleagues who come from faraway rather than communicate with his staffs in Wragby (Lawrence 1928: 53). The way Clifford talks to his staffs in Wragby is way too rude. He will only talk politely with his upper-class colleagues. He never really cares about what he did with his staffs in Wragby and Tavershall pit (Lawrence, 1928: 275 & 328). He suddenly changes when Mrs. Bolton came and changed his perspective about the pit (Lawrence, 1928: 150) mostly because he starts losing workers who are moved to Stacks Gate or New London. He feels terrified because it means that he start losing his revenues (Lawrence, 1928: 151). All the good things and adjustment that he did to the lower-class are just only because of the beneficial relationship.
5. The Relationship Between Clifford and Connie’s family
Clifford has a totally opposite thinking way with Connie’s family. Clifford whose born and raised by orderliness, does not suit the Connie’s family liberal culture. Clifford met Connie because he goes to the same campus as Hilda does (Lawrence 1928: 43). Connie’s father is a liberal artist which keeps moving from place to place. He starts a little conflict by saying the content of Clifford’s works are just poor and he expresses a very rude word; demi vierge which mocks Clifford’s masculinity (Lawrence, 1948: 52). They just do not like each other, but there is no other man who wants to marry his daughter. Malcolm would rather choose Clifford who came from the upper-class, to Mellors whom are just a gamekeeper.
On the other hand, Hilda, who is maturer than Connie, sees Clifford as a very arrogant and possessive man (Lawrence, 1928: 118-119) and he is the only reason why Connie is getting thinner and paler—she is depressed being in Wragby. Clifford is just full of dullness, that’s why Hilda tries to save her sister by asking Mrs. Bolton to take care of Clifford. For both’s sake! Hilda also has plenty of sexual experiences and relationships, so she knows what kind of man Clifford is. However, she just does not like Connie to have any relationship with anyone in the lower social status than theirs (Lawrence, 1928: 302) eventhough she does not like Clifford. Yet, Clifford trusts Hilda so he lets Connie to go travel for a long time with her, although Clifford thinks Hilda is silly (Lawrence, 1928: 303).
After the Duncan-tragedy, Clifford hates Hilda. He regrets to trust her accompanying Connie, so he would treat her bad when they will meet again (Lawrence, 1928: 364). He thinks that Hilda is the reason why Connie left—Hilda is the kind of woman who only live for lust, so Clifford thinks that Hilda has influences Connie to leave him. In the end, Clifford’s manner to Connie’s family is just as horrible as he treats the lower-class. However, Clifford still respects both Malcolm and Hilda because they both are family-in-law to Clifford.