Aaron's Rod

Aaron's Rod is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1922. The title of the book is a reference to the Biblican 'rod of Aaron'. The book follows the story of Aaron Sisson, an amateur flautist, and a union official in the coal mines of the English Midlands. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, he eventually deserts his wife and two children and travels to Italy, in the hope of making it big as a professional musician. He moves in artistic crowds, enjoys discussions about politics, and ends up having an affair with an upper class lady. However, the happiness he finds in his new found freedom, is short lived. Lawrence initially began the book in 1918, but abandoned it after the first eleven chapters. He picked it up again and finished it in 1921. It has received criticisms of being hastily written and of having inconsistencies regarding the names and backgrounds of the characters. Aaron Sisson, a union official in the coal mines of the English Midlands, is trapped in a stale marriage. He is also an amateur, but talented, flautist. At the start of the story he walks out on his wife and two children and decides on impulse to visit Italy. His dream is to become recognized as a professional musician. During his travels he encounters and befriends Rawdon Lilly, a Lawrence-like writer who nurses Aaron back to health when he is taken ill in post-war London. Having recovered his health, Aaron arrives in Florence. Here he moves in intellectual and artistic circles, argues about politics, leadership and submission, and has an affair with an aristocratic lady.