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Fiction

Notes In this chapter William follows in his mother’s footsteps of choosing a spouse who is very
different from his corresponding parent. He tells his mother that his fiancee is neither serious
nor thoughtful—the exact opposite of Mrs. Morel.

Chapter 7: Lad-and-Girl Love

Summary

This chapter describes the growing intimacy between Paul and Miriam. It begins from Miriam’s
perspective and describes the way that she aspires to learning, since she cannot have pride in
her social status. She is interested in Paul, but scorns him because he only sees the swine-girl
side of her and not the princess she believes she is inside. When he falls ill, she feels like he
would be weaker than she and that is she could take care of him, she would love him deeply.
Paul enjoys visiting the Leivers’ farm because it is so different from his own home. Miriam
and her mother both have very strong religious and spiritual convictions, and this strikes Paul
as enormously different from his own mother’s logical manner.

One evening when he is there for dinner, the boys all become very upset with Miriam because
the potatoes are burned. Her mother reprimands her for answering them instead of turning
the other cheek, and Paul is puzzled why an insignificant matter like potatoes would cause
such conflict.
Miriam and Paul make their connection through nature, as they share the experience of looking
at a birds’ nest. The narrator tells us, though, that it is a long time before Paul really notices
Miriam. He first becomes friends with the boys, most of all Edgar. Then one day Miriam
shows him the swing they have in the cowshed, and they slowly grow closer. Paul is troubled
by her “intensity, which would leave no emotion on a normal plane”. She tells him of her
desire to learn, and he agrees to teach her algebra. They are both frustrated by the effort, and
Paul finds her simultaneously infuriating and attractive.
One evening when Paul and Miriam are walking home, she brings him into the woods to see
a particular bush because she wants to share it with him. This excursion causes him to be late
coming home, and his mother is unhappy with him, partly because she is not fond of Miriam.
They argue about his relationship with the girl and he insists that they are not courting.
Paul organizes a walk to the Hemlock Stone on Good Friday. During this walk, Miriam notices
that Paul is different when she is alone with him. On the way back, she comes upon him alone
in the road, trying to fix his umbrella so his mother will not be upset, and she realizes that
she loves him.
Miriam and Paul get along well during another excursion to Wingfield Manor on Easter
Monday. However, after this she begins to feel tormented about whether she should be ashamed
of loving him, and she decides she will no longer call at his house on Thursday nights. One
evening she does call, and Paul picks some flowers to pin on her dress. Paul still refuses to
define his and Miriam’s relationship as that of lovers, and he forces his family to accept her
as his friend.
When Paul is twenty, he has saved enough money to take his family away for a holiday for
two weeks at a cottage called Mablethorpe. The night before they leave, Miriam stays at the
house so she doesn’t have to walk in the morning. One evening, she and Paul are walking on
the beach and see a beautiful view of the moon, and Paul is confused by his instincts: he feels
powerful feelings toward Miriam, but does not know how to interpret them. So they return
to the cottage, Mrs. Morel admonishes him once more for being late, and the chapter ends with
Paul feeling irritated at Miriam because she has made him feel unnatural.

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