Analysis of
Snake by D. H. Lawrence
Poem
Background of Author
D. H. Lawrence was born in 1885 and died in 1930. He was an English author that wrote novels, short stories, essays, travel books, plays and letters. He was a pupil-teacher in Eastwood in 1902. He attempted and performed well in the national examination. He began writing in 1905 after his friend encouraged him. His first story was published in a local newspaper in 1907. He studied at University College, Nottingham, from 1906 to 1908 where he earned a teacher’s certificate. After that he went on writing poems and stories and drafting his first novel named the The White Peacock. His novels Sons and Lovers(1913), The Rainbow (1915), and Women in Love (1920) made him one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century.
Lawrence was a religious writer who did not reject Christianity but try to create a new religious and moral basis for modern life by continual resurrections and transformations of the self. These changes are never limited to the social self, nor are they ever fully under the eye of consciousness. Lawrence called for a new openness to what he called the “dark gods” of nature, feeling, instinct, and sexuality; a renewed contact with these forces was, for him, the beginning of wisdom.
Structure of Poem
This is a narrative poem that tells a story of a man seeing a snake at the water trough.
There are 19 stanzas of varying lengths.
There is no specific rhyme scheme.
The story jumps between what is happening the in world and what is happening in the mind of the writer.
The tone of the writer is important since it symbolizes when there is peace and conflict within the mind of the writer.
Line by Line Analysis
Lines 1- 3
These lines set the scene of the poem. The first thing that is mentioned in this poem is a snake and we can see that the snake is drinking water.
In line 2 the words “hot” is repeated which could be used to emphasize how hot the day is. The writer notes that he is in his pajamas which signifies that he might not have been prepared to see anything and that it might be in the more.
In line 3, the writer has written this in such a way that it is implied that both the writer and the snake are there to drink water. They both have the same goal.
Lines 4 – 7
before me.
In line 4, the writer is involving more scenes in the story of the snake. He further describes the setting as well as comments on the smell of the tree. The two scenes noted in the poem so far are sight and smell.
In line 5, the writer describes his actions.
In lines 6 and 7, the writer describes that he should wait for the snake to finish drinking before he can get some water since the snake was there before him. This is also where the writer refers to the snake by personal pronouns which indicates that the writers sees the snake as more than just an animal or that he has become familiar with the snake. The writer mentions twice that he should wait for the snake. I have read in my research that the snake could symbolize the upper class while D.H. Lawrence is a part of the middle class, meaning the upper class has first rights to things while the middle and lower class must wait their turn. In my personal interpretation, I see the snake as the personification of nature. Nature was here before humans and thus we must respect it and let nature run its course before we interfere. Another interpretation that I thought of while looking at the poem is that the snake signifies something that a person is curious about but warned against by society. Comment down below what you think the snake represents.
Lines 8 – 15
Silently.
In line 9, the writer describes the snake’s body. We are informed of the color of the snake which is important later in the poem. He describes the body as “slackness soft-bellied” which invokes an idea of gentleness and passivity.
In lines 10 and 11, the writer is describing the actions of the snake. He uses the verb “rested” which is a continuation of the peaceful nature of the snake in the poem.
In line 12, the words “dripped from the tap” create the sound of the water that is dripping from the faucet.
in line 13, the writer uses “sipped” to show how the snake drinks which iterates the idea that the snake is peaceful.
In lines 14 and 15, the use of “softly”, “slack” and “silently” conveys the peaceful and passive energy that the writer is experiencing from the snake. The snake’s mouth is also described as having “straight gums” which makes mention of the lack of teeth which shows that there is no threat from the snake as it is not baring its fangs or trying to strike.
Lines 16 and 17
In line 16, the writer describes the snake as a person who could relate to the interpretation that the upper class is symbolized through the snake. This could also show that humans come second to nature as a whole and we must wait for nature to change seasons or to provide us with rain. The idea that the snake could symbolize sin for something that someone is curious about but warned against could also be applicable here because the desire or curiosity might be so strong that the person’s ideals become an afterthought.
Lines 18 – 25
In line 18, the snake is being compared to cattle that drink. The movement of being slow, passive, and disinterested are attributed to both animals. This could suggest that the snake is no more dangerous than the cattle.
In line 19, the simile is repeated to further drive home the point that the snake and the cattle are of the same nature. The adverb “vaguely” reinforces the idea that the snake is passive and unbothered.
In lines 20 and 21, the writer describes a characteristic that i associated with a snake which is the “two-forked tongue”. The illusion of the snake being of the same nature as the cattle is broken momentarily. The snake pauses which reinforces the pause in the perception that the snake is docile and passive like the cows.
In line 22, the use of the verb “stooped” can have a double meaning. “Stooped” can be used to describe the movement of the snake’s head as it bends it down to drink but “stooped” can also mean lowering one’s moral standards. This could be foreshadowing what will happen later in the poem.
In lines 23 and 24, “earth” is repeated three times which could suggest that the writer wants to emphasize the idea that the snake is associated with nature. The use of “burning bowls” suggest that the snake comes from hell which is reinforced by the Christian belief that the devil came to Ave in the form of the snake to tempt her. This could suggest that the snake can be used to embody sin or temptation in this poem. The color is also important as we know the snake is golden brown.
In line 25, the writer provides more detail about the setting. He describes the season as a “Sicilian July” which suggests that he is in Italy because Sicily is a city in Italy and Etna is a famous volcano in Italy. This context is important because it influences how the writer feels about the snake in the next stanza.
Lines 26 – 29
are venomous.
In line 26, the “voice of my education” suggests social ideas that have been accepted by everyone but that is not necessarily what the writer believes. This is also the start of the inner conflict within the writer about the snake.
In line 27, the use of the modal verb “must” suggests that the writer does not have the option to disobey his conditioned thoughts.
In lines 28 and 29, the writer provides an explanation for why he should kill the snake and it is because in Italy the gold snakes are venomous while the black snakes are innocent. The golden snake can be compared to the upper class which suggests that the upper class is more dangerous than let’s say the working class which is portrayed as the black snake. This could suggest that the lower or middle class has risen up against the upper class throughout points in history thus it could be reinforced by previous generations that the upper class is dangerous. The black snake could be a symbol of temptations or ideas that are expected by society while the golden snake could be one of the ideas and temptations that are unacceptable according to society’s standards. If the snake is a personification of nature then the distinction between the colors of the snakes could suggest how humans determine which parts of nature are good and bad based on how useful those aspects are.
Lines 30 – 31
In these lines, the writer’s conditioned thoughts attack his manhood in an attempt to convince him to kill the snake and everything that it could symbolize. These lines also lay out how the writer could kill the snake like a set of instructions that the writer must follow in order to protect himself. This stanza and the previous one are also at a faster pace than the previous ones where the snake is being described. The peaceful tone has dissipated and has been replaced by conflict.
Lines 32 – 36
Into the burning bowels of this earth?
In line 37, the writer is experiencing some inner conflict. He is asking himself close ended questions that answers will be either yes or no. The writer does not want to kill the snake but he does not know what his reasoning for not wanting to kill the snake.
In line 38, the writer is asking if he was perverse for wanting to talk to the snake. “Perverse” means to be against or different from the accepted behavior. The writer finds himself in Italy where the golden snakes are killed yet he wants to spare the snake and talk to it. This could relate to all three assumptions of what the snake could symbolize namely, upper class, nature, and sin. The answers to the questions might vary depending on the symbol.
In line 39,
In line 40,
Lines 41 – 42
In these lines,
Lines 43- 46
In line 43,
In line 44,
In line 45,
In line 46,
Lines 47 – 55
In line 47,
In line 48,
In lines 49,
In lines 50,
In lines 51,
In lines 52,
In lines 53,
In lines 54,
In lines 55,
Lines 56- 63
In line 56,
In lines 57 and 58,
In lines 59 and 60,
In lines 61 and 62,
In line 63,
Lines 64 – 66
In these lines,
Lines 67 – 72
In line 67,
In lines 68 and 69,
In line 70,
In line 71,
In line 72,
Lines 73 – 75
In line 73,
In line 74,
In line 75,
Lines 76 – 78
In these lines
Lines 79- 81
In line 79,
In line 80,
In line 81,
Lines 82 – 84
In these lines,
Lines 85- 86
In these lines,
Themes
The themes of this poem are
- Religion
- Social classes
- Nature
Cheers