# Clara Dawes — Sons and Lovers character guide

> Clara Dawes in Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Clara, Clara Dawes, X Clara, Hill Clara

**First appearance:** 0009-part-ii-x-clara

## Snapshot

A separated suffragette with a proud bearing and a husband she cannot quite leave, Clara Dawes becomes Paul's lover and teaches him something his mother never could.

## Who they are

Clara is older than Paul, married to the blacksmith Baxter Dawes but living apart, and she carries her politics and her wounds with a haughty self-possession. She gives Paul a passion that is physical and adult rather than spiritual, yet she cannot stop measuring herself against the husband she has failed to make love her. Her restless need for penance — kneeling to Dawes across an insuperable distance — exposes the limits of what Paul can offer a woman who has already been someone else's.

## Relationships

### [Paul Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/paul_morel)

_romantic_

Passionate, physical, and liberating affair that contrasts with Paul's relationship with Miriam.

### [Miriam Leivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/miriam_leivers)

_rivalry_

Competitive and jealous dynamic as both women vie for Paul's affection and loyalty.

### [Walter Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/walter_morel)

_social_

Acquaintances through Paul, with little direct interaction but mutual awareness.

### [Gertrude Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/gertrude_morel)

_social_

Tense acquaintanceship, with Gertrude disapproving of Clara's affair with Paul.

### [Edgar Leivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/edgar_leivers)

_social_

Casual acquaintances through Miriam and Paul, with no deep connection.

### [Paul Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/paul_morel)

_romantic_

Passionate, physical, and liberating affair that contrasts with Paul's relationship with Miriam.

### [Paul Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/paul_morel)

_romantic_

Passionate, physical, and liberating affair that contrasts with Paul's relationship with Miriam.

### [Miriam Leivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/miriam_leivers)

_rivalry_

Competitive and jealous dynamic as both women vie for Paul's affection and loyalty.

### [Miriam Leivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/miriam_leivers)

_rivalry_

Competitive and jealous dynamic as both women vie for Paul's affection and loyalty.

### [Walter Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/walter_morel)

_social_

Acquaintances through Paul, with little direct interaction but mutual awareness.

### [Edgar Leivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/edgar_leivers)

_social_

Casual acquaintances through Miriam and Paul, with no deep connection.

### [Gertrude Morel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/gertrude_morel)

_social_

Tense acquaintanceship, with Gertrude disapproving of Clara's affair with Paul.

## In the story

### [IX: Defeat of Miriam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-ix-defeat-of-miriam)

Visits Willey Farm; engages in playful, competitive banter with Paul; her physical vitality attracts Paul and torments Miriam.

### [X: Clara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-x-clara)

A married woman with a strained home life; returns to work at Jordan's; Paul is drawn to her.

### [XI: The Test on Miriam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-xi-the-test-on-miriam)

Clara is mentioned as the object of Paul's growing attraction; he sketches her arms and finds them fascinating, indicating his shifting interest.

### [XII: Passion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-xii-passion)

Visits the Morel home, feels drawn to Paul but also intimidated by his mother; engages in a tense, passionate encounter with Paul.

### [XIII: Baxter Dawes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-xiii-baxter-dawes)

Feels a sense of self-assurance but acknowledges her relationship with Paul is temporary; encounters Baxter Dawes with Paul; expresses dissatisfaction with Paul's emotional distance.

### [XIV: The Release](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-xiv-the-release)

Clara senses Paul's emotional distance and is repelled by his detachment; she ultimately feels horror and fear rather than love.

### [XV: Derelict](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/chapters/part-ii-xv-derelict)

Clara has left with her husband for Sheffield; Paul scarcely sees her again. Her absence contributes to his sense of loss and emptiness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters/clara_dawes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sons_and_lovers_se/characters