Literature overview and analysis

Lawrence Women in Love

Ursula is the one character in DH Lawrence's novel Women in Love that truly changes from how we see her at the beginning of the novel. Near the end of the novel, her conversation with Gudren in the chapter "Continental," signals a big transformation, one in which she is essentially changing worlds. By contrasting her statements at the beginning of the novel with the conversation that concludes the chapter "Continental" we can detect of number of these changes. For one, Ursula has become more impulsive and carefree. Secondly, she begins to demonstrate a belief, influenced most definitely by Birkin, that there is something more than just the mental and material aspects of human relationships. All of these changes in Ursula's character suggest a thematic core in Lawrence's novel that is centered around a physical/mental and spiritual/intellectual dichotomy.

One of Ursula's biggest changes, evident by contrasting the scene that opens the novel with the scene in question, is her impulsiveness, her carefree attitude, her trust in instinct. At the beginning of the novel when discussing Gudren's return home, Gudren's characterizes it as a momentary retreat to safety before jumping into her next adventure, a "reculer pour mieux sautre" loosely translated as "to move back a little to better be able to jump." Ursula's response shows her to be less inclined to undertake such risky behavior or such a carefree attitude. Ursula's response to Gudren's assertion that, "If one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere" demonstrates this. She asks "But isn't it very risky?"(22).

Later on in the novel, Ursula is ready to take her own jump. Gudrun questions Ursula on her impulsive decision to go off with Birkin, to which her only response is "I don't know a bit what is going to happen. I only know we are going somewhere"(493). Clearly, the hesitant Ursula at the novel's beginning has become much more comfortable in being spontaneous and carefree, letting things figure themselves out. This change in her character is influenced by Birkin, who implores her earlier in the novel to " trust yourself so implicitly that you can let yourself go"(290). As I will demonstrate in the next two paragraphs, much of Ursula's transformation finds its roots in Birkin's ideas.

The second change indicated by Ursula and Gudrun's conversation is that Ursula comes around to Birkin's view of achieving a relationship not based on the Will. Earlier in the novel, in the chapter "Moony," Birkin tries to elucidate to Ursula his idea of love not based on power dynamics, the working of the will etc. He says to her, "I want us to be together without bothering about ourselves....I don't want to serve you because there is nothing there to serve...I want you to drop your assertive will." To him, love is love, but there is something in a relationship even higher than love. This is demonstrated by his exasperation at Ursula insistent questioning of "do you really love me?" His response: "I love you, and I know its final. It is final. So, why say anything more about it?" (291). As the above scene demonstrates, Ursula doesn't understand him. Her mind is filled with antiquated old-world views of relationships, which is demonstrated by her repeated insistence of "you don't want to serve me"(289). As she says to Hermione in "Woman to Woman," "I really don't know what he means"(336).

However, at the end of the chapter "Continental," when Gudrun insists that she can't escape the world entirely, Ursula's answer reveals that part of her transformation has to do with an understanding, and perhaps even acceptance, of Birkin's ideas. Gudrun says, "After all, the great ideas of the world are the same there. You above everybody can't get away from the fact that love, for instance, is the supreme thing, in space as well as earth." Ursula responds, " no, it isn't. Love is too human and little. I believe in something inhuman, of which love is only a little part. I believe what we must fulfill comes out of the unknown to us, and it is something infinitely more than love. It isn't so merely human" (495). Compare this to the passage at the end of "Moony" "For she [Ursula] believed in an absolute surrender to love. She believed that love far surpassed the individual. She believed that love was everything"(305). Her response to Gudrun later in the novel clearly echoes much of Birkin's own ideas expressed in the novel, illustrating that her transformation has a lot to do with coming around to Birkin's ideas.

Another aspect of Ursula's transformation is her new willingness except the existence of other worlds, both in a supernatural sense as well as a physical one. Earlier in the novel, in the chapter "A Chair" she tells Birkin, "But there's only this world"(406). However, in her conversation with Gudrun, Ursula insists that there are other worlds. Gudrun tells her, "But isn't it really an illusion to think you can get out of it? After all, a cottage in the Abruzzi, or wherever it may be, isn't a new world." Ursula responds by insisting that "there can be something else....one can see it through in one's soul, long enough before it sees itself through in actuality. And then, when one has seen one's soul, one is something else"(494).

Ursula belief in "other worlds" also comes from Birkin. In Chapter 23 "Excurse, Ursula and Birkin's conversation demonstrates the influence Birkin has on her later change in ideas.

After all, there is only the world, and none of it is very distant.' You see, my love,' she said, 'I'm so afraid that while we are only people, we've got to take the world that's given -- because there isn't any other. 'Yes there is,' he said. 'There's somewhere where we can be free -- somewhere where one needn't wear much clothes -- none even -- where one meets a few people who have gone through enough, and can take things for granted -- where you be yourself, without bothering. There is somewhere -- there are one or two people --'

'but where --?' she sighed.