Comparison of the Maturation of Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge and The Rachel Papers by Martin AmisEach of these three novels Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis, examine the transition from childhood to adulthood of the three main characters in each of the texts. Each author represents this transition by showing how all the characters deal with significant stages or events in their lives. The problems they encounter lead to the maturation of each character which ultimately leads to the process of growth. Although each book is set in a different time, where social conventions are very different, most of the problems that each of the characters face remain the same. DHLawrence's Sons and Lovers is set in a working-class, coal-mining community in pre-war England. It is in this setting that Paul Morel grew up. For Paul, the process of growth means how his relationships with various groups of people and individuals develop and how he himself perceives these relationships. The most meaningful relationships Paul has are those with his parents, the opposite sex, and the outside world. Paul's childhood was similar to that of other children in this part of Nottingham in the 1930s. His father spent most of his evenings drinking, squandering most of the family's income. Paul resents his father for making his mother suffer because of this and never questions the fact that it is his mother who pushes Mr. Morel to drink. Paul is the second of four children and has an unusually close relationship with his mother which intensifies after the death of his older brother, William. This relationship that Paul has with his mother before middle of paper......urney that is made by the main character takes place over a relatively short period of time. The way adolescent rites of passage are depicted in my three novels is consistent with the idea that "the subject is the development of the protagonist's mind and character, as he passes from childhood through varied experiences - and usually through a spiritual crisis - towards maturity and recognition of one's identity and role in the world. "Works CitedFriends, Martin. The Rachel Papers. New York: Vintage International, 1992. Lawrence, DH Sons and Lovers. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1996Lodge, David. Out of the Refuge. New York: 1985. Powell, Neil." What is Life: The Novels of Martin Amis." PN Review, June 1981: 42-45. Spilka, Mark. The Ethics of Love by DH Lawrence. (1955): 244. Rpt. In TCLC. Ed. Denis Poupard., 1985.