Going South, the Double Whammy

In Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor chapter 19 and 20, what was really apparent to me, was how many of these rules on how to improve our reading of literature overlap each other.  Foster comments that “What Lawrence does, really, is employ geography as a metaphor for the psyche—when his characters go south, they are really digging deep into their subconscious, delving into that region of darkest fears and desires” (Foster 170).  Indeed, going south, yes going south is part of the geography, and as part of the geography; and as part of the geography, we need to be aware of it.  Whether because of the implications of moving south, or because of the customs or people in this south, we need to sit up and pay attention.  Yet there is more to going south, than just the south part.  There is also the going.  This takes us back to Foster’s chapter 1: “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not).”  And what did Foster say about quests, again?  Oh yes, Foster told us that “The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge” (Foster 3).  Lawrence’s characters went south, which is down, and means digging.  But his characters are traveling and going on a quest too.  Combine the geography of south and the act of traveling and it’s like a double whammy from the author.  He’s practically screaming at us to sit up and pay attention.