The most classical description of sexual love in this book may be in Chapter 15, when they made love in the rain. Lawrence used nearly the whole chapter to describe the whole process. Connie got into the rain with all her clothing off. At this time, Connie no longer felt abashed to be naked before her lover. Mellors was greatly encouraged by the behavior of Connie. He soon joined her. They were so happy in the rain because they could not feel any fetters. They were free to do anything they wanted. And Mellors couldn’t stand for the lure any more. He looked at her with hungry eyes like she was a delicious food. He decided to waste no time. She was nearly at the wide riding when he came up and flung his naked arm round her soft, naked-wet middle. She gave a shriek and straightened herself and the heap of her soft, chill flesh came up against his body. He pressed it all up against him, madly, the heap of soft, chilled female flesh that became quickly warm as flame, in contact. The rain streamed on them till they smoked. He gathered her lovely, heavy posteriors one in each hand and pressed them in towards him in a frenzy, quivering motionless in roaring silence of the rain, and shirt and sharp, he took her, short and sharp and finished, like an animal.
It was nature of all beings. Direct, strong, with no hesitation. Mellors helped Connie find the extreme of sexual love and no longer refuse it. It was also the praise of human reality. “What we can feel is only beauty, the beauty of human body, the beauty of vigor, and the beauty of life.
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((Liu Yuli, 2003)
Ⅴ. The Spiritual Love in Lady Chatterley?s Lover
Though there were many sexual love descriptions in Lady Chatterley?s Lover, sexual love was not the main link of Connie and Mellors' relationship. In stead, it was spiritual love that tied their hearts together. Sexual love was just the surface; the deeper thing Lawrence wanted to reveal was their true love.
Though impotent, Clifford was reluctant to give divorce. He wanted to bind Connie beside him. “He denied the value of human body, ignoring and destroying the vitality of Connie. He never cared the sexual desire of Connie as a woman.” (蒋家国，2003，P335) He thought that embrace, petting and coition were primitive and instinctive activities of human beings. In his talk with Connie in Chapter 5, P42, he said:
“What do the occasional connexions matter? ......If people don?t exaggerate them ridiculously, they pass like the mating of birds. ……It?s the life-long companionship that matters. It?s the living together from day to day, not the sleeping together once or twice. You and I are married, no matter what happens to us. We have the habit of each other. ……little by little, living together, two people fall into a sort of unison, they vibrate so intricately to one another. That?s the real secret of marriage, not sex; at least not the simple function of sex.” He tried to brainwash Connie,
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making her believe that their marriage life was good as those normal people. He would not mind who she had a love affair with; he would not mind who she had baby with, if she wanted. He thought that was his love for Connie. But this was not true love.
Connie was a sensitive woman. She thought her life should have love. So, even though Clifford was impotent, she didn’t leave him because he “loved” her. But soon she found herself disappointed with Clifford’s love. She turned to Michaelis. But she was disappointed again. Then, she met Mellors. At first, they were just talking and kept a distance from each other. Then, they had sex. The first time after they made love, Mellors was still a riddle to Connie. She felt she didn’t know the man. And this time the sex was the same as she had experienced before. She was so calm as if she were the third person.
But she knew that all have changed since they had sexual love. She knew that everything would be different. But she didn’t know what the change would bring about. So she wanted to run away from the wood. For a long time, she didn’t go to the wood.
Dodging from the wood couldn’t stop what would happen. As time went by, their relationship became closer and closer. Connie realized the beauty of sexual love gradually. Every time they made love, her feeling became deeper and deeper, with the other self awaken slowly. Unconsciously, her love to Mellors grew deeper and deeper. She learnt to
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enjoy with him, share with him, find the beauty with him, and go to the extreme crest with him. From lying still in the sexual course to enjoy the sexual love, it was her rebirth; it was the sublimation of Connie. In Chapter12, P176, she realized the beauty of a man’s body: A man! The strange potency of manhood upon her! Her hands strayed over him, still a little afraid.……And now she touched him, and it was the sons of god with the daughters of men. How beautiful he felt, how pure in tissue! How lovely, how lovely, strong, and yet pure and delicate, such stillness of the sensitive body! Such utter stillness of potency and delicate flesh. How beautiful! How beautiful! ……Beauty! What beauty! A sudden little flame of new awareness went through her. ……The roots, root of all that is lovely, the primeval root of all full beauty.
Because she loved the man, and she had long appreciated his power, his vigor, now, she was enchanted with his body. There was a saying that “man has love because of sex while woman has sex because of love”. It was true in this book. As they felt in love, Mellors would not only lie still after they made love. He would say something to her or do something that was no need to speak. And he cared about her. All his behaviors would make Connie feel warm. “He lay still, too. But he held her close and tried to cover her poor naked legs with his legs, to keep them warm. He lay on her with a close, undoubting warmth.” He asked Connie whether she was cold or not in a soft, small voice. (Chapter 10, P125-126)
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On the contrary, in the awaking of the other self of Connie, she found that she had fallen in love with Mellors deeply. She was no longer content with the touch of body. Every time after they made love, she always asked Mellors to say something to her or she would talk to him. She needed the communication by heart. She always asked if Mellors loved her:
?You love me, don?t you?? she murmured. ?Ay, tha knows!? he said. ?But tell me!? she pleaded.
?Ay! Ay! ?asn?t ter felt it?? he said dimly, but softly and surely. And she clung close to him, closer. He was so much more peaceful in love than she was, and she wanted him to reassure her. (Chapter12, P177)
Communication was ever important than before. The touch of body could no longer make Connie feel safe. Even though she knew Mellors did love her, Connie kept asking Mellors to speak it out as though that would make her feel safe and secure.
Women in love were unreasonable. Mellors knew this so he would feel annoyed for her request.
The deeper the love was, the more she wanted. Connie even began to plan going away with Mellors. Before going abroad with her sister Hilda, she talked to Mellors that she wanted to go away with him, no matter where to go.
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