How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
She saw the determined little collier buying in the week's groceries and meat on the Friday nights, and she admired him. "Barker's little, but he's ten times the man you are," she said to her husband. (8.330)
Gertrude's so fed up with Walter stealing all of her grocery money to buy booze that she never misses an opportunity to shame her husband. She specifically attacks his sense of masculine pride, saying that he's not a true man. Unfortunately, Walter doesn't respond to being shamed, and doesn't change his behavior one bit. Maybe if Gertrude had tried a different tactic on him, she might've found more success…?
Quote #5
He ran straight upstairs and kissed her. He was almost afraid to ask:
"Didn't you get up, pigeon?"
"No," she said. "It was that morphia; it made me tired"
"I think he gives you too much," he said.
"I think he does," she answered. (14.135-14.139)
In her final days, Mrs. Morel starts taking morphine to help her cope with the pain of her cancer. The only problem is that the morphine almost does her as much harm as good. It's possible to see a parallel here with Walter Morel's drinking. Walter seems to drink to help cope with the difficult life of being a miner, but the alcohol destroys him while making him feel better. The same goes for Mrs. Morel's morphine.
Quote #6
In the morning they were both normal again, though her face was grey with morphia, and her body felt like ash. (14.155)
Just like the ash that's left on the end of a burnt cigarette, ash seems to be all that's left of Mrs. Morel once she's had a lot of morphine. Eek. Again, passages show that Lawrence is skeptical of all kinds of painkillers. For him, maybe there's a direct connection between trying to hide your pain and moving toward death. Think about it.