How did D.H. Lawrence’s pacifism affect his life during World War I?

During World War I, D.H. Lawrence’s pacifism significantly impacted his life in England, leading to social isolation, suspicion, and state-sanctioned harassment. Living in a cottage in remote Cornwall, Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, faced growing hostility from their neighbors, fueled by his antiwar sentiments and her German origins.1

The authorities eventually suspected the couple of signaling to German submarines, resulting in their expulsion from Cornwall in 1917. They spent the remainder of the war living in London and Derbyshire, where Lawrence faced the constant threat of military conscription. This period of persecution profoundly affected his outlook; he later reflected that the hostility he endured for his antiwar stance effectively destroyed his desire to participate actively in society. Despite these hardships and the legal suppression of his novel The Rainbow—which was partly influenced by the war hysteria of the time—Lawrence continued to write some of his most significant work throughout the conflict.12