Who are Miriam Leivers and Clara Dawes in Sons and Lovers?

In the semi-autobiographical novel Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, Miriam Leivers and Clara Dawes represent the two primary, conflicting romantic interests of the protagonist, Paul Morel.12

• Miriam Leivers: Modeled on Lawrence’s real-life acquaintance Jessie Chambers, Miriam is Paul’s adolescent girlfriend. She is characterized as repressed and religious. Paul feels a fatal attraction to her, yet their relationship is undermined by his mother’s dominance; because Miriam shares qualities with his mother, Paul finds it impossible to sustain a healthy sexual connection with her.12
• Clara Dawes: Clara is an experienced, independent married woman and the subject of Paul’s passionate affair, which serves as the only purely imaginary element of the novel. Their relationship represents a reaction against his mother’s influence, as Paul seeks a sexual passion that is detached from emotional commitment. Ultimately, the affair concludes after a confrontation between Paul and Clara’s husband, Baxter, leading Clara to return to her marriage.12

Both women highlight Paul’s struggle to achieve emotional independence from his mother.1