Now I see how inordinately strong the craving for self-assertion and success is in men. It is enormously overdeveloped. All our individuality has run that way. And of course men like you think you’ll get through better with a woman’s backing. That’s why you’re so jealous. That’s what sex is to you . . . a vital little dynamo between you and Julia, to bring success. If you began to be unsuccessful you’d begin to flirt, like Charlie, who isn’t successful. Married people like you and Julia have labels on you, like travellers’ trunks. Julia is labelled Mrs Arnold B. Hammond — just like a trunk on the railway that belongs to somebody. And you are labelled Arnold B. Hammond, C/O Mrs Arnold B. Hammond. Oh, you’re quite right, you’re quite right! The life of the mind needs a comfortable house and decent cooking. You’re quite right. It even needs posterity. But it all hinges on the instinct for success. That is the pivot on which all things turn.’
From “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” by D. H. Lawrence
Yesterday was International Women’s Day. This snippet celebrates the importance of our ladies in our lives, mothers, wives, daughters, granddaughters, friends. When “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was published in 1928, the novel was considered ahead of its time. To some degree, the concept of woman’s backing continues. But nowadays, it works both ways. A man’s backing is important for a woman’s success and vice versa. Lawrence takes this notion to an extreme: “That’s what sex is to you . . . a vital little dynamo between you and Julia, to bring success. If you began to be unsuccessful you’d begin to flirt, like Charlie, who isn’t successful.” I am sure that there are different opinions on this issue. If you have one you want to share, please let me know.
In the following sentences, the author writes, “Married people like you and Julia have labels on you, like travellers’ trunks. Julia is labelled Mrs Arnold B. Hammond — just like a trunk on the railway that belongs to somebody. And you are labelled Arnold B. Hammond, C/O Mrs Arnold B. Hammond.” I don’t think that married women should lose their last names. It reinforces the concept of male dominance. As you all know, wives retain their maiden names in Spanish-speaking countries. It does not mean that these women have achieved equality but helps dispel the perception that wives are husbands’ property.
I agree, “The life of the mind needs a comfortable house and decent cooking.” But men and women should contribute equally. This principle should apply to a society that expects a woman to work as hard as a man.
