How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He had signed the pledge, and wore the blue ribbon of a teetotaler: he was nothing if not showy. (1.107)
When Mrs. Morel first falls in love with Walter, the dude won't touch a single drop of booze. His sobriety doesn't last long, though, because it's only six months into his marriage when he decides that he really, really likes to drink. As you might imagine, spending half his life drunk and the other half hungover makes Walter a pretty irritable guy.
Quote #2
"But Mr. Morel does not take any drink."
The woman dropped the clothes, looked at Mrs. Morel, then went on with the work, saying nothing. (1.161-1.162)
At this early stage in the novel, Mrs. Morel reveals her gullibility about her husband's newfound love for drinking. The moment is a sad one, because what follows is a painfully slow decline in Mrs. Morel's love and respect for her husband.
Quote #3
Paul hated his father. As a boy he had a fervent private religion.
"Make him stop drinking," he prayed every night. "Lord, let my father die," he prayed very often. "Let him not be killed at pit," he prayed when, after tea, the father did not come home from work. (4.36-4.37)
Paul hates his father's drinking habit, and he sometimes mistakes his hatred of alcohol for hatred of his father. When it comes down to it, he badly wants his dad to be a good man. So, once again, Lawrence shows us that family bonds often elicit strange blends of love and hate. But Lawrence also makes it fairly clear that alcohol is the great wedge between Walter and his family.