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Thread: D.H. Lawrence's Short Stories Thread

  1. #241
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    Another point I wish to make about Part I is the loss of control that has come about because of the psychic conflict, at least in the Officer.

    What we see is that the subconscious is dictating control over person, in opposition to what the consciousness wants.

    The Captain can't hold back from asking, and even the Orderly can't come out and give a straight answer. And we see here that the rage the Captain feels is starting to become violence. The subconscious desires are beginning to become expressed.
    Virgil, I agree with all three points you have brought out. Interesting how L writes that the officer pinned down his thumb with a pencil. Almost like the pencil were a sword. Definitely a weapon of restraint to the officer.

    I will try to post more of the story tomorrow. J
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Janine View Post
    Virgil, I agree with all three points you have brought out. Interesting how L writes that the officer pinned down his thumb with a pencil. Almost like the pencil were a sword. Definitely a weapon of restraint to the officer.
    Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that, that the officer uses an instrument to control the orderly.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

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    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Janine View Post
    Virgil,
    I know this is true of critics/biographers; they just love to cite examples of possible homeosexual contacts for Lawrence, like the one in Cornwall; I believe it Cornwall, somewhere in the far west of England. There was a young man he befriended on a neighboring farm whom he greatly admired physically. He is much like L's other characters in "White Peacock" and S&L, who were fashioned after the brother of Jessie. Because L admired the man's body he was automatically suspected as being a homosexual. No one knows for sure what he really did in his personal life, nor it it anyone's real business, as is the same with other writers.
    But in L's work particularly the sense of homosexual elements often surface and behavior is definitely evident, although never full-blown. I could cite some passages from WIL, but don't want to ruin that book for you in the future. Just to say that Birkin and Gerald had a very close relationship and I think Birkin's attitudes reflex Lawrence's blood-consciousness, etc.
    There are several stories where things turn perverse and are tied in with sexual tension. I am thinking of "St. Mawr", and some of the commentary I have read during my studies of L and of his biographies. It seems that in St. Mawr a woman rides off and is raped or something violent. I cannot recall the book since I read it ages ago; so if you know more or if I am thinking of the wrong story please let me know.
    Your said "In no work of L that I'm aware does homosexuality actually reach a fulfilling experience". Exactly, interesting to note that, isn't it?
    I don't remember any homosexual tension in St Mawr. The thing is that with all the letters and stories and poems that Lawrence wrote, you would think there would be a clear reference to homosexuality if he were. Certainly he tells everything of his personal life in his letters. He wouold not have kept it hush.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

    "Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena

    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

  4. #244
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that, that the officer uses an instrument to control the orderly.
    Virgil, this sort of reminds me of Lawrence's experiences being a teacher. He rather railed against using a stick on the young men to keep them in order, but I believe he was forced to by his superiors, and gave into it. It seems these stick beatings were accepted practice in England at the time, so in a way he was forced to use brutality to some extend. Hard to think of L this way in his early days, but it was well documented and he even wrote a poem about the boys and keeping them disciplined, indicating this sort of thing. I will look it up.

    In answer to your next post - I did not mean homosexual behavior in St. Mawr. No - that story would just indicate brutal sexual aggression and behavior. It had nothing to do with homosexual behavior.

    Well, I will have to further investigate the letters and let you know what I think of any indiction of that type activity or inclination. In some of the books certain scenes indicate closeness with a males, even depicted nude in close proximity with another male. Therefore avid imaginations of biographers had a field day with these scenes. But true the letters would be the most revealing of all. I love reading the letters, but now with so many other distractions I have not read many so far. I will get back to it soon.

    I was send a note about some books and stories being added to the L section, and you requested this. Thanks! My question would be - do you know if WIL is in that section. Seems some people on the voting thread are concerned they can't get the book. I wrote something in there today to one person - see my post if you can.
    Last edited by Janine; 05-15-2007 at 11:53 AM.
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  5. #245
    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Janine View Post
    I was send a note about some books and stories being added to the L section, and you requested this. Thanks! My question would be - do you know if WIL is in that section. Seems some people on the voting thread are concerned they can't get the book. I wrote something in there today to one person - see my post if you can.
    Yes: http://www.online-literature.com/dh_...women_in_love/


    By the way Janine, Happy Mothers Day.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

    "Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena

    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

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    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Thanks Virgil, someone remembered; just don't start calling me 'mom'. Still very thoughful of you. I laughed when I saw the pink pyschodelic type Actually my son and his wife will be over at 8. Too many people out today to go out to eat; actually they did that earlier with other inlaws - think the inlaws invited them.
    Right after I wrote that I was in the book of month thread and saw that WIL was posted on this site; so I looked and sure enough, there it was. This is great, if it gets picked, so that we can easily quote parts of the text. If S&L is picked, that is on here, too. I found my thick compiled book of several of the novels of Lawrence - namely S&L, The Fox, Love Among the Haystacks, Arron's Rod, WIL. My one question would be about this WIL edition. This particular book of mine was printed in 1979 and I saw ones on Amazon - the Penquin Classics Cambridge Edition - that boast of having the entire text, including 2 previously elimated chapters. It is confusing to know if I have the full edition or would it be worth my while to buy this updated one? It also includes good annotations which would be beneficial for the discussion. What do you think?
    I probably won't be posting anymore of this story tonight. I will do it tomorrow. Today I am off because it is Mother's Day - right - I just cooked all of us dinner....ha. A woman's work is never done!
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  7. #247
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Here, shall can go on with the following passages:

    The officer waited for further explanation. None came. The orderly went about his duties. The elder man was sullenly angry. His servant avoided him. And the next day he had to use all his will-power to avoid seeing the scarred thumb. He wanted to get hold of it and—A hot flame ran in his blood.

    He knew his servant would soon be free, and would be glad. As yet, the soldier had held himself off from the elder man. The Captain grew madly irritable. He could not rest when the soldier was away, and when he was present, he glared at him with tormented eyes. He hated those fine, black brows over the unmeaning, dark eyes, he was infuriated by the free movement of the handsome limbs, which no military discipline could make stiff. And he became harsh and cruelly bullying, using contempt and satire. The young soldier only grew more mute and expressionless.

    “What cattle were you bred by, that you can’t keep straight eyes? Look me in the eyes when I speak to you.”

    And the soldier turned his dark eyes to the other’s face, but there was no sight in them: he stared with the slightest possible cast, holding back his sight, perceiving the blue of his master’s eyes, but receiving no look from them. And the elder man went pale, and his reddish eyebrows twitched. He gave his order, barrenly.

    Once he flung a heavy military glove into the young soldier’s face. Then he had the satisfaction of seeing the black eyes flare up into his own, like a blaze when straw is thrown on a fire. And he had laughed with a little tremor and a sneer.

    But there were only two months more. The youth instinctively tried to keep himself intact: he tried to serve the officer as if the latter were an abstract authority and not a man. All his instinct was to avoid personal contact, even definite hate. But in spite of himself the hate grew, responsive to the officer’s passion. However, he put it in the background. When he had left the Army he could dare acknowledge it. By nature he was active, and had many friends. He thought what amazing good fellows they were. But, without knowing it, he was alone. Now this solitariness was intensified. It would carry him through his term. But the officer seemed to be going irritably insane, and the youth was deeply frightened.
    These paragraphs clearly show the progression of the animosity that is daily growing even stronger in the officer towards the youth. After the pencil incident he is constantly harrassing the orderly or questioning him in aggressive and a mean/rough sort of way. In return this just makes the orderly even more stubbornly inward and secretive about his feelings. He is not responsive to the officer. I think the officer it more irritated, actually infuriated, because of this total lack of response in the youth. It is as though the officer almost wants the youth to rail up against him, or lash out or show any bit of anger, but he remains inwardly keeping this his confusion and anger to himself. He is biding his time until he is done with his duty in the service. The last paragraph and sentence finally reveals in words an indication of the state of the officer's mind and his desent into a kind of irritable insanity. Interesting to call it that. This statement seems to be taken from the viewpoint of the orderly.

    It is interesting how one perceives who is thinking which lines at times or who's viewpoint is being stated. There is always this shift back and forth between the two characters. Then at other times it seems the perception is coming from a 3rd party or the narrator of the story. Interesting, also, that the last two short stories we read basically dealt with only two characters in depth. In the case or HDD - Mabel and Fergussen; in the first story - the married couple; in PO - the officer and the orderly.
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  8. #248
    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Janine View Post
    I think the officer it more irritated, actually infuriated, because of this total lack of response in the youth. It is as though the officer almost wants the youth to rail up against him, or lash out or show any bit of anger, but he remains inwardly keeping this his confusion and anger to himself. He is biding his time until he is done with his duty in the service. The last paragraph and sentence finally reveals in words an indication of the state of the officer's mind and his desent into a kind of irritable insanity. Interesting to call it that. This statement seems to be taken from the viewpoint of the orderly.
    Yes, the Officer is losing control more and more.

    It is interesting how one perceives who is thinking which lines at times or who's viewpoint is being stated. There is always this shift back and forth between the two characters. Then at other times it seems the perception is coming from a 3rd party or the narrator of the story. Interesting, also, that the last two short stories we read basically dealt with only two characters in depth. In the case or HDD - Mabel and Fergussen; in the first story - the married couple; in PO - the officer and the orderly
    Lawrence is great at that. I've never seen a writer who in the same paragraph can shift points of view like Lawrence. A writer is not supposed to do that. But Lawrence freely breaks those rules and it seems natural.

    I've got one more point to make on part 1, but I'm rather tired tis evening. Tomorrow if that's ok with you, J.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

    "Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena

    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

  9. #249
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    Yes, the Officer is losing control more and more..
    Virgil, Definitely, a spiraling downward for the officer and his unstable state of mind.

    Lawrence is great at that. I've never seen a writer who in the same paragraph can shift points of view like Lawrence. A writer is not supposed to do that. But Lawrence freely breaks those rules and it seems natural.
    Yes, I have noticed this so many times, especially in this story. Lawrence broke a lot of literary rules, I believe. He got away with it all so graciously and easily, I think because his writing flows so naturally. It was a natural outpouring of his mind and soul, and 'blood'. I love that about L. He could care less about what an author was 'suppose to do'. He made up his own set of rules. One thing that makes his writing so distingishable and unique.

    I've got one more point to make on part 1, but I'm rather tired tis evening. Tomorrow if that's ok with you, J.
    Absolutely; wait til tomorrow or whenever. I am moving slowly along myself. Are you back from your trip yet? Take your time with further comments.
    Last edited by Janine; 05-15-2007 at 11:53 AM.
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  10. #250
    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    So now that we have seen the sexual undertones of the officer and orderly relationship, identified the unconscious frustrations and their slowly rising into conscious, sublimated acts, and now that we seen the officer's increasingly loss of control, we can discuss the central event of part 1, an event that really is the culmination of the relationship and the event from which the rest of the story hinges. I'm referring to the kicking scene.

    "Why have you a piece of pencil in your ear?" he [the Office] asked.

    The orderly took his hands full of dishes. His master was standing near the great green stove, a little smile on his face, his chin thrust forward. When the young soldier saw him his heart suddenly ran hot. He felt blind. Instead of answering, he turned dazedly to the door. As he was crouching to set down the dishes, he was pitched forward by a kick from behind. The pots went in a stream down the stairs, he clung to the pillar of the banisters. And as he was rising he was kicked heavily again, and again, so that he clung sickly to the post for some moments. His master had gone swiftly into the room and closed the door. The maid-servant downstairs looked up the staircase and made a mocking face at the crockery disaster.

    The officer's heart was plunging. He poured himself a glass of wine, part of which he spilled on the floor, and gulped the remainder, leaning against the cool, green stove. He heard his man collecting the dishes from the stairs. Pale, as if intoxicated, he waited. The servant entered again. The Captain's heart gave a pang, as of pleasure, seeing the young fellow bewildered and uncertain on his feet, with pain.

    "Schöner!" he said.

    The soldier was a little slower in coming to attention.

    "Yes, sir!"

    The youth stood before him, with pathetic young moustache, and fine eyebrows very distinct on his forehead of dark marble.

    "I asked you a question."

    "Yes, sir."

    The officer's tone bit like acid.

    "Why had you a pencil in your ear?"

    Again the servant's heart ran hot, and he could not breathe. With dark, strained eyes, he looked at the officer, as if fascinated. And he stood there sturdily planted, unconscious. The withering smile came into the Captain's eyes, and he lifted his foot.

    "I--I forgot it--sir," panted the soldier, his dark eyes fixed on the other man's dancing blue ones.

    "What was it doing there?"

    He saw the young man's breast heaving as he made an effort for words.

    "I had been writing."

    "Writing what?"

    Again the soldier looked up and down. The officer could hear him panting. The smile came into the blue eyes. The soldier worked his dry throat, but could not speak. Suddenly the smile lit like a flame on the officer's face, and a kick came heavily against the orderly's thigh. The youth moved a pace sideways. His face went dead, with two black, staring eyes.
    In some respects, this is actually a rape scene. It's a sublimated rape. Especially these lines:
    As he was crouching to set down the dishes, he was pitched forward by a kick from behind. The pots went in a stream down the stairs, he clung to the pillar of the banisters. And as he was rising he was kicked heavily again, and again, so that he clung sickly to the post for some moments.
    The kicking is another subconscious frustration coming up to consciousness in an sublimated, uncontrollable act. The whole thing is sadistic. The officer gets a sick pleasure from it. Notice too the sexual allusions:
    The officer, left alone, held himself rigid, to prevent himself from thinking. His instinct warned him that he must not think. Deep inside him was the intense gratification of his passion, still working powerfully. Then there was a counter-action, a horrible breaking down of something inside him, a whole agony of reaction. He stood there for an hour motionless, a chaos of sensations, but rigid with a will to keep blank his consciousness, to prevent his mind grasping. And he held himself so until the worst of the stress had passed, when he began to drink, drank himself to an intoxication, till he slept obliterated.
    It breaks the orderly. He completely copitulates and in many respects acts like a rape victum:
    The orderly had gone about in a stupor all the evening. He drank some beer because he was parched, but not much, the alcohol made his feeling come back, and he could not bear it. He was dulled, as if nine-tenths of the ordinary man in him were inert. He crawled about disfigured. Still, when he thought of the kicks, he went sick, and when he thought of the threat of more kicking, in the room afterwards, his heart went hot and faint, and he panted, remembering the one that had come. He had been forced to say, "For my girl." He was much too done even to want to cry. His mouth hung slightly open, like an idiot's. He felt vacant, and wasted. So, he wandered at his work, painfully, and very slowly and clumsily, fumbling blindly with the brushes, and finding it difficult, when he sat down, to summon the energy to move again. His limbs, his jaw, were slack and nerveless. But he was very tired. He got to bed at last, and slept inert, relaxed, in a sleep that was rather stupor than slumber, a dead night of stupefaction shot through with gleams of anguish.
    And so this brings the story back to present time, the march and manuevers, completing the exposition.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

    "Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena

    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

  11. #251
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    So now that we have seen the sexual undertones of the officer and orderly relationship, identified the unconscious frustrations and their slowly rising into conscious, sublimated acts, and now that we seen the officer's increasingly loss of control, we can discuss the central event of part 1, an event that really is the culmination of the relationship and the event from which the rest of the story hinges. I'm referring to the kicking scene.
    Good scene to go to. I agree that it is the culmination of the relationship; it is now the event that advances the story. Up until now there really has not been any real plot. Now something significant happens and this quickly advances the story and a plot develops from this point on.

    In some respects, this is actually a rape scene. It's a sublimated rape.
    Yes, absolutely I agree with this thought. They say that rape is not a sexual crime at all, it has nothing to do with desire, rather it has to do with domination and violence towards the rape victim. In this sense for certain the officer wants total domination of his orderly and now his victim.

    The kicking is another subconscious frustration coming up to consciousness in an sublimated, uncontrollable act. The whole thing is sadistic. The officer gets a sick pleasure from it. Notice too the sexual allusions:
    Most definitely sadistic. So is rape. His kicking has it's own connotations, from the back when the orderly least expected such an act of violence against him. He is totally defenseless, as a rape victim would be. Yes, the officer, at first, seems to derive a 'sick pleasure' from it, but then he is exhausted like his experience was sexual and intensely cruel and he needs to block it out.
    At first he has "intense gratification of his passion", but....
    "Then there was a counter-action, a horrible breaking down of something inside him, a whole agony of reaction. He stood there for an hour motionless, a chaos of sensations, but rigid with a will to keep blank his consciousness, to prevent his mind grasping. And he held himself so until the worst of the stress had passed, when he began to drink, drank himself to an intoxication, till he slept obliterated."

    It breaks the orderly. He completely copitulates and in many respects acts like a rape victum:
    The passage you quoted does do so. I fully agree with you on this. Good observations and insight.

    And so this brings the story back to present time, the march and manuevers, completing the exposition.
    Yes, we can go on from here to the advance of the plot.
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  12. #252
    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    One last thought on this scene Janine. I have to say that this is as violent a scene in all of Lawrence's works. There is really very little violence in most of Lawrence (The Plumed Serpent is probably the only exception that I can think of). The kicking is incredibly shocking to me. I really wasn't prepared for it. If the Officer had shot him, I think that would have been less startling. But the kicking seems so much more sadistic and cruel. It really is a rape.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

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    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

  13. #253
    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    One last thought on this scene Janine. I have to say that this is as violent a scene in all of Lawrence's works. There is really very little violence in most of Lawrence (The Plumed Serpent is probably the only exception that I can think of). The kicking is incredibly shocking to me. I really wasn't prepared for it. If the Officer had shot him, I think that would have been less startling. But the kicking seems so much more sadistic and cruel. It really is a rape.
    Yes, Virgil, I quite agree about this being the most violent scene I know of in L's work. I too was a bit shocked on first reading it. I am wondering if it would turn people off to Lawrence, had they not know much of his other work. Odd because this was written quite early in his career, right? In "The White Peacock" there was some shocking scenes, too concerning mostly cruelity and saddistic behavior towards animals, but there were hints of blatant cruelity toward people especially women. I was shocked reading that book at times. Lawrence started it when he was only 21.
    Yes, I think the act of the kicking was so brutal and it was more shocking then just shooting him; definitely a metaphor for rape. He wants to break the soldier physically and emotionally or even his spirit, even thought the young soldier has a quiet inner spirit which he keeps to himself...this is the main cataylist for the officer's behavior. He wants to break it, or break through the youth's protective fascade. As with a rape victim he does this very thing indeed. The youth will never be the same after this horrifying and humiliating experience. Later in the following text it says:
    "He was so young, and had known so little trouble, that he was bewildered." Then a bit later it says "He was too stunned to understand it." So to the youth, this is an emormous shock. He is marching/doing things now in a state of shock and non-reality.

    What we might want to think about too is the reaction the officer has within himself about his own actions. As I had already quoted, the following passage is curious to me. The officer is not the winner in this attach either. His actions have had "a counter-action" and he has experienced "a horrible breaking down of something inside" - within himself.....interesting.

    At first he has "intense gratification of his passion", but....
    "Then there was a counter-action, a horrible breaking down of something inside him, a whole agony of reaction. He stood there for an hour motionless, a chaos of sensations, but rigid with a will to keep blank his consciousness, to prevent his mind grasping. And he held himself so until the worst of the stress had passed, when he began to drink, drank himself to an intoxication, till he slept obliterated."
    The perpetrator is in a state of "chaos" so that he has not derived any satisfaction from his actions. He need to get intoxicated to get any sleep. Obviously he is himself stunned by his actions. I am not sure if rapists feel this way. What do you think?


    Virgil, can you proceed with the story? You do a good job of it.
    Last edited by Janine; 05-19-2007 at 03:30 PM.
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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    Quote Originally Posted by Janine View Post
    The perpetrator is in a state of "chaos" so that he has not derived any satisfaction from his actions. He need to get intoxicated to get any sleep. Obviously he is himself stunned by his actions. I am not sure if rapists feel this way. What do you think?
    You know I don't know exactly what to make of that. I purposely left it off my quote because i couldn't explain it. Here's a key sentence:
    And he held himself so until the worst of the stress had passed, when he began to drink, drank himself to an intoxication, till he slept obliterated.
    That word "obliterated" is a word that comes up often in Lawrence. He tends to mean that the character has released himself from the grip of his ego, his consciousness. I believe L uses the word even when it is not a perverse sex, but a wholesome sex. But those are just words on my part; I can't claim to quite understand it. Here's the rest of that paragraph.
    When he woke in the morning he was shaken to the base of his nature. But he had fought off the realization of what he had done. He had prevented his mind from taking it in, had suppressed it along with his instincts, and the conscious man had nothing to do with it. He felt only as after a bout of intoxication, weak, but the affair itself all dim and not to be recovered. Of the drunkenness of his passion he successfully refused remembrance. And when his orderly appeared with coffee, the officer assumed the same self he had had the morning before. He refused the event of the past night--denied it had ever been--and was successful in his denial. He had not done any such thing--not he himself. Whatever there might be lay at the door of a stupid, insubordinate servant.
    As to your question, I have no idea what rapists feel, but I imagine it's in the realm of poassibility.

    Virgil, can you proceed with the story? You do a good job of it.
    Thank you my dear. How about we push to part 2? I think we have tackled the difficult section and the rest is fairly straight forward. I think we can finish the rest more rapidly.
    LET THERE BE LIGHT

    "Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena

    My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/

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    Our wee Olympic swimmer Janine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    You know I don't know exactly what to make of that. I purposely left it off my quote because i couldn't explain it. Here's a key sentence:
    Interesting that you left that out but I thought you did have it in the quote but left it out when you commented. Here it what I just took from your quote:
    "He stood there for an hour motionless, a chaos of sensations, but rigid with a will to keep blank his consciousness, to prevent his mind grasping." Yes, I am glad you could not explain it either, since I found it quite confusing and osbcure in meaning, yet somehow I think it very significant to the story and the character studies. Both men are sick inside after the incident. Although the officer had the upper hand, now in the aftermath, he is in chaos and a broken man, as well as the orderly.

    That word "obliterated" is a word that comes up often in Lawrence. He tends to mean that the character has released himself from the grip of his ego, his consciousness. I believe L uses the word even when it is not a perverse sex, but a wholesome sex. But those are just words on my part; I can't claim to quite understand it. Here's the rest of that paragraph.
    That is interesting to me to know about the word "obliterated". It now takes on much more meaning, deeper meaning. Many aspects of Lawrence "I can't claim to quite understand" either. Although I, too, don't completely understand it, or what Lawrence intended, I get a sense of the word and his meaning.

    As to your question, I have no idea what rapists feel, but I imagine it's in the realm of poassibility.
    Do you mean what I wrote or how Lawrence wrote it? Some rapists don't feel anything like Lawrence's description of how the officer is affected, or so I think. I think some just go and do it again without much regard for human life or feelings. Somehow this officer is feeling very sickened by his own actions at this point right after the attack.
    Thank you my dear. How about we push to part 2? I think we have tackled the difficult section and the rest is fairly straight forward. I think we can finish the rest more rapidly.
    Yes, we should push onward. Your welcome, Virgil, I said that, since you seem to know where to take this discussion; I was feeling a little vague right now as to how to proceed. This study is becoming epic and I thought we could wrap it up by the end of the month; then --- onward to a new story!
    "It's so mysterious, the land of tears."

    Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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