Lawrence Women in Love Ursula Is the Term Paper

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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).

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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, "….....

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