In Chapter 1, Gertrude Morel grows increasingly unhappy due to her difficult circumstances at home. As Gertrude contemplates this in her garden, the narrator uses a hyperbole, a figure of speech in which a speaker or writer exaggerates, to express the intensity of her emotions:
The heat suffocated her. And looking ahead, the prospect of her life made her feel as if she were buried alive.
The phrase "buried alive" is figurative, meaning it's not meant to be interpreted by readers literally. Lawrence uses this striking figure of speech to stress Mrs. Morel's feelings of apprehension and fear as she ruminates on her life. Mrs. Morel feels confined by her circumstances, unable to rise above them.
Sons and Lovers takes place in the late 19th century, an era of immense social, political, and economic change. The rise of the suffragette movement during that time empowered women to enter the workforce and demand they be treated on equal terms as men. However, these societal changes were far from immediate. With limited options for employment, women were forced to rely on their male spouses, lovers, and children for support and survival. Similarly, Mrs. Morel relies on her husband and cannot leave her life in the Bottoms, which makes her feel powerless. Although she is alive, she feels trapped, like a body in a coffin. Lawrence's simple but incredibly evocative phrase evokes a clear image in reader's minds, an image that arouses similar feelings of anxiety and despair.
