Sons and Lovers,written by one of the most uncompromising and volcanic authors of the 20th century,was the first modern portrayal of a phenomenon that later,thanks to Freud,became easily recognizable as the Oedipus complex.The cycles of Paul's relationship with these three women are terrifying at times.In an Oedipus like relationship Paul is unable to discover a love that equals his mother and even after her death "his soul could not leave her…he was with her still" this relationship is the main them present throughout the book and it produces a highly emotional and powerful conflict.Here,frank sexuality became a creative symbol for the life force and was frequently pitted against industrialism,which Lawrence considered dehumanizing.