D.H.

Lawrence and Freudian Thanatos and Eros

Sigmund Freud was the famous 19th century psychologist who developed and explored
the idea of the human subconscious. Building upon his Pleasure Principle, the idea that people
seek to be gratified immediately, Freud developed the separation of death drives from life drives
Thanatos and Eros. D.H. Lawrence applied many Freudian ideas to his work, as is
demonstrated by his prominent use of Thanatos and Eros in The Horse Dealers Daughter and
in The Rocking Horse Winner.
D.H. Lawrence draws Pauls mother, Hester, in The Rocking Horse Winner heavily
with Thanatos, laying out the story of her life early on. Hester as a character begins as a lucky
well-off woman, but rapidly becomes unlucky. This is the result of her destructive spending
habits and desires, which are indirectly represented by the whispers throughout the house. Paul
believes that, having won five thousand pounds for his mother, he can erase the whispers, for he
has equated the whispers with poverty and debt. However once Pauls mother touched the
whole five thousand. . . the voices in the house suddenly went mad, (Rocking 8). Lawrence
clearly applies the idea of destructive instinct to Hester by showing how she successfully ruins
every gift given to her and her family through her destructive habits, driving her family deep into
debt and her son to what can only be described as insanity.
On the other hand, however, Lawrence balances out Hesters Thanatos with young Pauls
Eros, his drive toward life. Growing up inversely to his mother, he is set into an unlucky
family, where he is haunted by his mothers overly exerted Thanatos. He grows up much less
selfish and needy as his mother, winning large swaths of cash, only so he can give it to his
mother. In fact, Lawrence seems to place special emphasis on the instinct aspect of Pauls Eros
by describing his ability to win this money through mere instinct. After placing all his money on

Malibar, he tells his mother, I never told you, mother, that if I can ride, and get there, then Im
absolutely sure . . . I am lucky! (Rocking 11). As a kid, his entire life had been about the sole
purpose of making money for the family, as opposed to his mother. In The Rocking Horse
Winner, Lawrence uses this contrast between the Eros and Thanatos in his characters to create a
vivid and dramatic tragedy.
Nonetheless, Lawrence is still able to create drama by applying Eros and Thanatos to
even a single character, as he does to Mabel in The Horse Dealers Daughter. She represents a
delicate balance between Eros and Thanatos, for throughout the plot, she at one point is on the
verge of death and at another point, is on the verge of lifenew life with Jack Fergusson. It does
make sense that Mabel be about the most dynamic character, because Lawrence clearly depicts
how she is constantly stimulated and driven into action by a balance of [Eros and Thanatos]
(Mitchell). The suicidal thoughts, clearly linked with Thanatos, that cause her to walk into the
pond are set in clear contrast with her intimate and personal conversation with Jack Fergusson,
where she is painted to be erotic and fertile through specific diction, such as naked, bare, and
breasts. Lawrence aptly uses the concepts of Eros and Thanatos as tools to help him mould and
develop Mabel by using these ideas to materialize her internal struggles.
D.H. Lawrence applies Freudian ideas and philosophies to his writing, which enriches the
character development in his stories. Because of his use of ideas such as Thanatos and Eros, he
brings his readers past the mere conscience of his characters and suggests that there are
subconscious forces that are affecting the plot. This explains why so often, his characters do
things that his readers cannot relate to or understand. The reason why D.H. Lawrences writing is
so interesting is because it is so often focused around the character development, which he
enhances through the ideas and writings of Sigmund Freud.

Works Cited
Lawrence, D.H. "The Horse Dealers Daughter." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. 3rd.
Ed. R.V. Cassill. New York, Norton, 1986. Print.
---. "The Rocking Horse Winner." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. 3rd. Ed. R.V. Cassill.
New York, Norton, 1986. Print.
Mitchell, Gregory. "Sigmund Freud & Freudian Psychoanalysis." Sigmund Freud & Freudian
Psychoanalysis. Trans4mind, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.trans4mind.com/mind-development/freud.html>.