'The Christening' was written by D H Lawrence in 1911. Lawrence is at his best in this story taken from the scenes of his childhood and based on characters he knew intimately. The theme of the unmarried mother and the frictions the situation caused in the family and in the local community were further explored in his play ‘The Daughter-in-Law’. In this story the emphasis moves around each member of the family and the visiting clergyman as the tensions in family life are released.