Sons and Lovers - Chapter 2
As Paul grew older, his connection with his mother became stronger. Gertrude saw in Paul a reflection of her own disappointed hopes. She had wanted to be an educated woman, to have intellectual interests, but her marriage had taken her away from all that.
Now she lived through Paul. She encouraged his drawing, his love of nature, his sensitive understanding of the world. In return, Paul loved his mother with a deep and almost romantic intensity.
"Mother is the only one who understands me," Paul thought.
But this intense relationship began to worry Gertrude. She knew it was not healthy for a son to be so dependent on his mother. She tried to push him away, to make him more independent.
"You must make friends," she told him. "You must spend time with people your own age."
Paul tried, but he never felt comfortable with others. He always returned to his mother, seeking the understanding and comfort he could not find anywhere else.
Meanwhile, William, the older brother, was different. He was outgoing and confident, popular at school. He seemed to have escaped the pull of his mother's intense love.
Gertrude was proud of William's success, but she also felt a strange sadness when he left home to work in London. Her house would be empty without him.
Paul watched his brother leave with mixed feelings. He admired William's independence, but he also resented how easily William could escape their mother's influence.
"I will never be free," Paul thought. "I will always be tied to Mother."
And so the years passed, with Paul growing ever closer to his mother, while his father became more and more a stranger in their own home.