A mother is undoubtedly the most important figure in a child's life, especially during his developmental stages. However, too much love, especially while a child is learning to bond, has the potential to create a mother complex and permanently damage the child's psyche. This concept, popularized by Sigmund Freud in the early 20th century, is explored in numerous literary works, particularly those of D.H. Lawrence. Through Sons and Lovers, “The Horse Dealer's Daughter,” and “Rocking Horse Winner,” Lawrence demonstrates how a maternal complex, particularly one formed during a period of childhood trauma, results in an amplified Id. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The prime example of this concept is Paul Morel in Sons and Lovers. His extremely close bond with Gertrude arose from traumatic events that occurred during his developmental years. His brother dies and soon after he too becomes fatally ill. During this time, both Paul's mental and physical health are under pressure and the person who constantly looks after him is Gertrude. She is with him throughout his serious illness, creating a bond far more intricate than that of a normal mother-son relationship. The two are described as “entwined together in perfect intimacy,” explicitly describing the nature of their connection (Sons 97). This deprives him of the ability later in life to bond intimately with other women, especially on a romantic level, because he is never able to fully form the layers of his personality. Like his love for Gertrude, Paul Morel's id, still forming at the time of his traumatic experience, is excessively expressed. According to Freud, the id “has no knowledge of objective reality… [and] seeks immediate satisfaction” (Mitchell). Paul's amplified Id manifests itself in both romantic relationships he entertains in the novel; he seeks immediate sexual satisfaction through Clara and immediate spiritual satisfaction through Miriam. These relationships illustrate the extent of his inability to understand the mother complex and the reality of his life, an obvious example of his overexpressed Id.DH. Lawrence also demonstrates this idea through Mabel Pervin in "The Horse Dealer's Daughter". Mabel's fond memories of her childhood all revolve around her mother; Mabel's developmental years were years spent with her mother, living prosperously and surrounded by love. However, with the death of his mother came the amplification of the maternal complex. Her extreme opposition to her father's decisions, combined with the immense emotional trauma of her mother's death, leaves her forever infatuated with the memory of her mother's love. She harbors a sort of jealousy for her mother, who managed to escape from a world that soon condemned Mabel to ten years of servitude. He strives to be a likeness of his mother: “Mindless and persistent, he seemed in a kind of ecstasy approaching his fulfillment, his own glorification, approaching his dead mother, who was glorified” (Horse). This clearly defines Mabel's exaggerated Ed, a result of the complex formed by her mother's traumatic death. The id is "not governed by logic" (Mitchell), demonstrated explicitly by his senseless attempt to become his mother. She is stuck in the childish mentality of idolizing her mother, a mentality governed solely by her Id. Paul in "Rocking Horse Winner" is yet another example of a poorly managed childhood situation that leads to excessive attachment to a mother. The story begins with the explanation of the tireless whispers that ran through the house during childhood.