"Homosexuality" Or "Blood-brotherhood"

Lawrence was probably the most controversial and legendary English writer inthe early20thcentury. Because of the mass sexual descriptions in his novels, he wascalled pornographer and his works had been abridged and even confiscated many times.While his heterosexual themes have been focused, the question of relationshipsbetween men has also attracted readers’ attention. Especially in his novel Women inLove, he depicted intimate male relationship and many so-called homoerotic scenes,the male characters Birkin and Gerald were regarded as homosexual by some critics.And also because Birkin embodied Lawrence’s personal experience and thought, hewas Lawrence’s mouthpiece, so Lawrence was also taken as homosexual.Although there are critics who point out that Lawrence is a homosexual, butnone of them have positive proof. Through much criticism, biographical materialsand the text-analysis, we can find that Lawrence and his male characters are nothomosexual but of Blood-brotherhood relationship. During Lawrence’s life he seeksfor a new relationship with another man, and that is the Blood-brotherhood.This paper is consisted of six parts: Introduction gives a brief culturalachievement of Lawrence. From overseas and domestic studies of the criticismabout Lawrence, it can be seen that most of them centered on sex, marriage,male-female relationship and other problems. While his heterosexual themes havebeen focused, the question of relationships between men has also attracted readers’attention. Whether he and his male characters are homosexual or not remains adisputed problem. Chapter two is about his personal experience and his ideology inwhich his Blood-brotherhood is formed. His family background and his loveexperience as well as his radical thought, all these factors led to him a special life.Chapter three discusses Blood-brotherhood reflecting in the beauty of healthy andyouthful handsomeness based on physical attraction and the beauty of power and masculinity. In some chapters of Lawrence’s novels, his male characters aredistinguished by descriptions of their bodies. Chapter four studiesBlood-brotherhood as the willing submission of the weak follower to the strongleader and the way to the complement and fulfillment between men.. In manyLawrence’s novels, these relationships between different male characters aredescribed in detail. Chapter five refers to Blood-brotherhood serving as a way ofescaping from female and the complement of marriage. In some Lawrence’s novelsespecially Women in Love, to form a Blood-brotherhood relationship as a way ofdealing with their predicaments is the male characters’ choice.From the text-analysis and criticism as well as Lawrence’s views, we can seethat neither Lawrence nor his main male-characters are homosexual, but of aBlood-brotherhood relationship. To them, this relationship is a way for theirappreciation and admiration of the beauty of male; male-worship and subjection;escaping from female and the complement of marriage.