In "The Man Who Loved Islands" by DH Lawrence, the plot is used as a vehicle for an allegory about different ideals of life: 'community, marriage and independence' (Franks 121), as represented by the three islands. Through the use of allegory, Lawrence offers a cautionary tale that goes beyond the plot of a simple man living on three islands different, warning against the "idealization of loneliness" (Son 156) and emphasizing that socialization is a necessary part of our humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't be banned"? Get an original essay The first island, which represents the creation of the ideal community that revolves around oneself, is a spectacular failure. The problem with such a community is that Mr. Cathcart sees the island community as "a world of its own" (210), "the perfect place, all filled with its graceful, flower-like spirit" (212-213), "Paradise" (213). In essence, he sees the island as the idealization of a paradise on earth and he plays God at the center of his utopia. He assumes the fantasized role of "Master" (214), "Our Savior" (215), and "source of this happiness and perfection" (214) on this "Happy Island" (212). Therefore, although there is a community around him, Mr. Cathcart is not properly socialized within it, rather he focuses on minimizing or denying the other islanders, exercising his selfish and self-centered vision and ideal, which is contrary to community spirit in the first place. It therefore logically fails as its ideal conception of community precludes the interests of the islanders, in fact it is the lack of self-awareness in relation to other people that leads to the failure of one's perceived vision of this community. Lawrence thus emphasizes the need to respect the social order and equality of a community, and illustrates the physical alienation and ostracism that are the consequence of not doing so. The second island represents married life, which can be seen in the settling of ambitions, when the man no longer attempts to pursue an ideal vision of his world. He sees the second island as a kind of refuge, "as if he and his few dependents were a small flock of seabirds [that] alighted on this rock" (221). The rock is an image that speaks of settling and stability in life, while sea birds, migratory by nature, have found a resting place on this rock far from the harshest climates. Here he seems to have achieved a kind of happiness, when he thinks to himself 'I don't feel anything or I don't know what I feel'. Yet I seem to be happy." (222) The island characterizes for him a slow passage from the "material island" (212) to that of simple pleasures, "without desire, without boredom" (222). Even as he attempts to publish his book, he realizes that the book is of no importance to him, as it represents "the rush of progress" (222), and he is more than happy to abandon such a worldly pursuit and need for recognition . . However, the love between him and Flora is characterized as "mechanical, automatic" (223), "driven by will" (224), "it shocked him, filled him with a sort of death" (223-224). While the stability of married life attracts him, the passion that is missing between both proves to deny all the happiness he had found in this “new quiet of desirelessness” (224). As a result, the island is now "dirty and ruined" (224) and he is able to stay on the island longer. In illustrating the island as a metaphor for married life, Lawrence seems to equate this stability and peace with true happiness in life, warning against marriage in the absence of love, which proves to adequately deny the peace of married life. The third"..
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