Comparison of maturation in Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge, and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis Each of these three novels Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge, and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis, examine the transition between childhood and adulthood of the three main characters in each of the texts. Each author represents this transition by showing how all the characters face significant phases or events in their lives. The problems they encounter lead to the maturation of each character which ultimately leads to the growth process taking place. Although each book is set in a different era, where social conventions are very different, many of the problems that each of the characters face remain the same. DHLawrence's Sons and Lovers is set in a working-class coal mining community in pre-war England. It is in this context that Paul Morel grows. For Paul, the process of growing up means how his relationships with various groups of people and individuals develop and how he himself views these relationships. The most significant relationships Paul has are those with his parents, with the opposite sex, and with the outside world. Paul's childhood is similar to that of other children in that area of ​​Nottingham in the 1930s. His father spends most evenings drinking, squandering much of the family income. Paul resents his father for making his mother suffer because of this and never questions the fact that it is his mother who pushes Mr. Morel to drink. Paul is the second of four children and has an unusually close relationship with his mother which intensifies after the death of his older brother, William. This relationship that Paul has with his mother before… middle of paper… urney, created by the main character, takes place in a relatively short period of time. The way adolescent rites of passage are depicted in all three of my novels conforms to the idea that "The subject is the development of the protagonist's mind and character, as he passes from childhood through various experiences - and usually through spiritual crises - into maturity and recognition of his identity and role in the world." Works Cited Amis, Martin. Rachel's papers. New York: Vintage International, 1992. Lawrence, D. H. Sons and Lovers. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1996Lodge, David. Outside the shelter. New York: 1985.Powell, Neil. “What Is Life: The Novels of Martin Amis.” PN Review, June 1981: 42-45.Spilka, Mark. The Ethics of Love by DH Lawrence. (1955): 244. Rpt. In the TCLC. Ed. Dennis Poupard. vol. 16. Detroit: Gale, 1985.