Snake by Dh Lawrence

Snake by DH Lawrence

In Snake, Lawrence tells of a confrontation with a snake he had

at his water trough. This poem is actually based on an incident that

occurred to him and obviously reflects his feelings and emotions.

Lawrence was honored by the snakes presence, but was also afraid. “If

you were not afraid, you would kill him”, he said to himself. He

simply waits for the snake to finish drinking its water, and then

throws a log at it to scare it away. After doing so he immediately

regrets doing it because he missed a chance with one of the “lords of

life.”

Throughout the poem Lawrence illustrates his point about strife

and the clash of opposites. Education and social conventions make

Lawrence think that the poisonous snake must be killed, and that a

brave man should undertake the task. For a brief moment Lawrence

lacked the faith of his own intuition and missed his chance with one

of the lords of life. (Internet, 3) He compares the snake to

domesticated farm animals and to a human by referring to the snake

as “someone” and describing “him” as amusing. Lawrence compares the

snake to a god, a king, and a lord of life. It almost seems as he

feels the snake is above him. The snake is the first one on the

scene, and the first to leave. Lawrence wonders why “petty” mankind

always tries to rob the dignity from all Godly creatures

(Masterplots, 1930).

Some religious themes could be drawn from the poem as well.

There was a snake in the Garden of Eden. Lawrence is drawn by the

snake, just as Eve was in the Bible. He is in complete awe of it, and

can not decide to turn away from it or get a chance to understand it.

Lawrence’s act of scaring it away could illustrate an attempt to draw

closer to God. His inner feelings are fear of the snake “And truly I

was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so,