allegorical extent, the lower class’s disaffection with the tyranny of their upper class superiors. As with Lawrence’s short story, in which anger is seen as a regressive force (inspiring moments of animalistic rage in Frances and Tom), ‘The Pursuit of Substance’ treats anger as a reductive force; hence, Sybil being “reduced to a clenched fist”. As the killing of the mole in ‘Second Best’ allows Frances to express her resentment towards love and sex, the encounter with the stone angel at the end of the story gives Sybil the moment of affection he has longed for, seemingly releasing him from his state of anger and disillusionment. However, the final image of Sybil being “…immersed […] by a tide of mortality” suggests that the only fulfilling quality of life is its end in death.
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