Color Symbolism in Sons and Lovers In Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence uses colors to suggest the underlying implications of the events that unfold. Three colors in particular – red, black, and white – seem to have a kind of subtle connotation that reveals more about the characters, their actions, and the motivations for those actions, than the plot or setting alone. Color images are linked to material images that carry with them the same connotative meaning: the color red is associated with fire, black with darkness and dirt, and white with cold. Additionally, Lawrence tends to use such color imagery at times when an emotional response arises from one of the characters or the reader. Especially in the first chapter, Lawrence tends to associate certain people and actions with colors. In the two instances where Walter and Gertrude Morel begin to argue, color conflicts arise, echoing the conflicts the characters face. The third... center of the card... burned with passion, shuddered to find herself out there in a great white light, which fell cold on her, and gave a shock to her inflamed soul" (22). The brightness and the cold of reason shock the burning passion of his "inflamed soul." Such contrasts continue throughout the novel. Lawrence's use of color enhances the understanding of the characters and the progression of their interactions. DH Sons and Lovers 1913. New York: Bantam, 1985.