Summary of the Poem The Snake by D.H Lawrence

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The Snake

-          D.H Lawrence

The Snake is one of the finest poems written by D.H Lawrence. He records in his poems the creative meeting between poet and phenomena. The poem showcases the struggle between the two selves of the speaker. The voice of education, the voice of civilization mocks at the voice of the spontaneous self. The poem has several levels of meaning.


        The poet celebrates the distinctive otherness of a creature so very different from man. As a separate self, as a different creation the snake is worthy of admiration and respect. The poet penetrates into the being of the snake to bring out its beauty. He shows the opposition between the speaker’s manhood his real 'I' other voices the 'spring from his educated self'.

A snake comes to have a drink at the water trough on a hot Sicilian day. The speaker also needs a drink and comes down the steps with his pitcher since the snake has arrived there before him. The speaker respects the right of the snake to drink first. He is fascinated by the slack body of the snake. He considers it as a visible, almost a god from another world.

The snake has come down the fissure in the wall. It observes the man vaguely as drinking cattle do. The snake is earth brown and earth golden which suggests its fertility in contrast to the bareness of man’s life. It looks like one of the Lord’s of the earth.

Even as the speaker waits in patient at the water trough he is disturbed by confusing voices from his subconscious mind. They all warn him. His feeling of friendliness is suddenly replaced by a feeling of fear. This dramatic change in his attitude makes him think of the snake as an enemy to man. The voices provoke him into violence. If he were a man, he would take a stick, break him and finish him off. The black snakes in Sicily are innocent but the golden ones are venomous. The voices of education begin to rule the man. He springs into action. However, he could not help but like the snake. The snake has given him pleasure by coming in like an uninvited guest from another world. However, oppressed by the voices and fill a feeling of horror. The speaker picks up a clumsy log and throws it at the water through. With the convulsive movement the snake escapes into the hole. The speaker stares at the fissure in the wall with mingled fascination and horror. The snake has disappeared into its dark world the burning bowels of the earth. Immediately the speaker is filled with a sense of shame and regret. He disposes himself for such a mean act. He was reminded of the albatross. This bird that had arrived as a blessing was shot by the ancient mariner. His action brought about a curse. The feeling remains at the end is that the snake has come like a king but the speaker by his foolish action misses his chance with one of the Lord’s of life. The lesson is man must learn to accept everything in nature.

 

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