Chapters 16-18 Summary

In Chapter 16, Birkin is ill at home, thinking about Ursula's resistance to him. Her desire for merging and unity makes him furious—he wants to be separate and integral to himself, and he wants her to be the same. Gerald comes to see him and Birkin asks him about his relationship with Gudrun. Gerald tells Birkin about the slap she gave him, but Gerald says that it interests him, and he'll see the relationship through.

Gerald and Birkin talk about Winifred, Gerald's younger sister, who has been upset about her father's dying. Birkin suggests getting Gudrun to tutor her in art, since she is a unique child. "every true artist is the salvation of every other," Birkin says. (p. 279). He tells Gerald that the is his equal if not his superior

In Chapter 17, Gudrun is planning to escape from Beldover...