Search For Vitality

David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930) is one of the most distinguished writers in English literature of the20th century. So productive and outstanding is Lawrence that he leaves us a great number of novels, short stories and enormous poems. Lawrence is famous for his sharp insights into the deepest impulses of life, his devotion to illuminating human passion, and his original perspectives on the problems posed by human relationships.While Lawrence’s greatest achievements center on his novels, which mainly focus on the exploration of sex and inhuman repression by capitalist industrial civilization, his short stories are by no means insignificant and should be neglected. In fact, Lawrence demonstrated a wide imaginative range in his short fiction that was often lacking in his novels, and to many observers his fresh masterful approach extended the conventions of the short-story genre. Therefore, it is significant to shift the focus on the research of Lawrence’s novels to the study of his short stories, especially the reflection of vitality in his short stories, which distinguishes from the previously repeatedly discussed viewpoints, thereby lending powerful strength to the interpretation of D. H. Lawrence and his short stories.The thesis draws attention to the paradigmatic shift in the use of the concept of ’life’, which can be observed at the end of the nineteenth century. With Hans Driesch’s concept of vitalism as a foil and through a comparative analysis of the figures and societies in Lawrence’s short stories, the thesis argues that Lawrence in his life not only placed great emphasis on the thought of life and society, but also sought inexhaustibly for high vitality, physically as well as mentally.The theme of this thesis is that Lawrence not only displays individual weakness but also discloses the social frailty in his short stories. Besides, he does not just stay on the description or exposure of undesirable sides of society. He also attempts to provide ways for the individuals and societies to change and adapt, though none succeed. A constant search for vitality is revealed through his whole life and literary creation. The chosen stories to analyze the theme of this thesis cover the typical individuals and societies related to the thesis. From the social and historical perspective, the thesis analyzes the characterization of both male and female figures in these short stories. Adopting the research methods of close reading of the text and relevant materials, such as Lawrence’s letters, journals and biographies, the thesis tries to interpret Lawrence’s idea of life force.The thesis first starts from the individual loss of and search for vitality. It seems that in Lawrence’s view, male figures with vitality are always the ideal choices to organize a vital society. That’s why Lawrence tries to present in his short fiction some of the male characters who maintain their high vitality, whether physical or mental, in a situation where females attempt to gain their life force. Under the pen of Lawrence, some female characters go through a process of losing vitality in the process of dull marriage life. Some, however, go through a rebirth process of seacrhing for vitality. Through the change, Lawrence’s personal pursuit of vitality is revealed. Then, the thesis starts from the basic soclial relationship of a society to disclose the loss of vitality in a society. The unbalanced relationship between husband and wife, parents and children, and man and nature predominates in Lawrence’s short fiction, which reveals Lawrence’s deep concern with the society he lived in. He was not satisfied with mere presentation of social problems, but he also suggested ways for the society to change. Organizing society in terms of male vitality and going to nature to acquire energy are his offer to solve the problems. Last, the thesis goes to figure out the reasons of the repeated theme of loss of and search for vitality in his short stories. Personal experiences as well as social background are presented as factors influencing Lawrence’s view of society and individuals. The theme of loss of and search for vitality reflects Lawrence’s criticism of the alienation of man and man, as well as man and nature caused by the War and Industrialization and also Lawrence’s exploration of social and individuals needs.