Bio of David Lawrence & Analysis: Snake
Bio of David Lawrence & Analysis: SnakeDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was born in Eastwood,
Nottinghamshire, England on September 11, 1885. His poem Snake was
written while he was living in Taormina, Sicily in 1920. The poem is
actually derived from an experience there(Groliers). In all, Lawrence
published 11 novels in his lifetime, 5 volumes of plays, 9 volumes of
essays, and several short story collections. Of these, Snake was one
of his most famous poems. The poem can also be related to Lawrence�s
views and experiences relating to his own life.
Lawrence�s childhood was not a pleasant one. His parents did not
get along very well and they were not wealthy. His mothers
frustration with her marriage, his father�s alcoholic degeneration,
and their continual marital strife haunted his childhood and provided
much of the conflict at the heart of Lawrence�s work (Critical,
1948). Lawrence�s mother struggled to do her best for them, in saving
money and encouraging them to take their education seriously. The
children had a rather troubled love for their father, who was
increasingly treated by his wife as a drunkard who would never do
well, and as a consequence he drank more to escape the tensions he
experienced at home. Lydia Lawrence consciously alienated the
children from their father, and told them stories of her earlier
married life the children never forgot, things their father did for
which they never forgave him. Arthur Lawrence, for his part, unhappy
at the lack of respect and love shown him and the way in which his
male privilege as head of the household was constantly being
breached, reacted by drinking and deliberately irritating and
alienating his family. His behavior, and his spending of a portion of
the family income on drink, caused all the major quarrels between the
parents, and divided the children's loves and loyalties (Worthen).
In 1912 he became smitten with �the woman of a lifetime,� his
former language professor�s wife, the Baroness Frieda von Richthofen.
Frieda had been known to have a number of affairs, but the one with
Lawrence was different. He truly loved her, and she eventually
divorced her husband and married Lawrence.
Lawrence also had potent psychological and emotional
undercurrents in his writings, such as The Rainbow, which was
publicly condemned for obscenity. Some of Lawrence�s works were not
appreciated in his own time. Critics, however, soon did grasp
Lawrence�s genuine ability to convey what T.S Eliot called �fitful
and profound insights� into human behavior. Virginia Woolf stated
that �Mr. Lawrence has moments of greatness but he has hours of
something quite different� (Critical, 1950). Lawrence was admired by
his peers, but not all of his works were exemplary. Some of his works
were condemned because of his views on human sexuality among other
things, none of which I feel pertain to Snake, but nonetheless
conveys that he was a controversial writer in his time and nothing
stopped him from writing what he felt.
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, honoured still more.� His
Garden was both honored and violated by the snake (Masterplots,
1931). This poem, along with others, convey his inner feelings and
conflicts. He is confused on how he should feel about the snake. He
is torn between what he thinks society would have him do, and what
would be morally right. He has been taught that a snake is something
evil, and that he should be scared of. Inside, however, he feels
honored by the snake being there. But the pressure of society wins,
and he throws a log at the snake and scares it away. He regrets it
and wishes he had not done it. He was drawn to what represented evil,
but did turn away. Perhaps this has been a frequent occurrence in his
life. Whenever he conforms to society or God he regrets it because he
did not do what he really wanted to do, which might sometimes be
evil.
Snake is an excellent poem that I enjoyed. It deals with a great
deal of inner conflict, with good prevailing. But does good prevail,
when evil is what you still feel you should have done. The fact that
Lawrence actually experienced the account that took place in the poem
makes it all the more interesting. You can tell by his writing he has
a great deal of inner discord that developed throughout his life.