Women in Love · Chapter
II: Shortlands explained
The wedding party moves to the Crich family home, Shortlands, where guests mingle and tensions simmer.
What happens
The wedding party moves to the Crich family home, Shortlands, where guests mingle and tensions simmer. Gerald acts as host while his mother, Mrs. Crich, seeks out Birkin for a private, unsettling conversation. Meanwhile, Birkin and Gerald engage in a heated philosophical debate about standards, individuality, and the nature of murder, revealing a strange, intimate enmity between them.
Themes in this chapter
Individual vs. Society
Birkin argues for spontaneous individuality against Gerald's insistence on standards and collective behavior, highlighting the conflict between personal freedom and social order.
Death, Destruction, and the Will to Power
Birkin's discussion of the 'murderee' and the hidden lust for murder, along with Hermione's threat to kill, explores themes of violence and the will to power.
Human Connection and Isolation
The strange, intimate enmity between Birkin and Gerald, and Mrs. Crich's isolated conversation with Birkin, underscore the difficulty of genuine connection amidst social rituals.
Characters to notice
- Gerald Crich
Acts as host at Shortlands, engaging in a philosophical argument with Birkin about standards and individuality, revealing his desire for order and his hidden vulnerability.
- Rupert Birkin
Debates with Gerald, advocating for spontaneous individuality and dismissing standards; later has a tense, intimate conversation with Mrs. Crich about the non-existence of most people.
- Hermione Roddice
Participates in the debate about rivalry and emulation, displaying a domineering and cold demeanor, and later threatens to kill anyone who takes her hat.
- Mrs. Crich
Appears noiselessly, seeking out Birkin for a private conversation; she expresses a disdain for strangers and a sense of estrangement from the social gathering.
- Diana Crich
Gerald's pert sister, who teases him about looking foolish in the 'old national hat' during the debate.
- Laura Crich
Calls for toasts and attempts to steer the conversation away from the philosophical argument.
Key passages
“It takes two people to make a murder: a murderer and a murderee. And a murderee is a man who is murderable. And a man who is murderable is a man who in a profound if hidden lust desires to be murdered.”
Birkin argues that murder requires a willing victim, someone who secretly craves their own destruction.
This exchange reveals Birkin's provocative philosophy and the deep, almost erotic tension between him and Gerald.
“I think it was perfect good form in Laura to bolt from Lupton to the church door. It was almost a masterpiece in good form. It's the hardest thing in the world to act spontaneously on one's impulses—and it's the only really gentlemanly thing to do—provided you're fit to do it.”
Birkin praises Laura's impulsive dash as the highest form of behavior, valuing spontaneity over conventional standards.
Birkin's defense of spontaneity challenges Gerald's belief in social norms and order.