Discover the summary and analysis of “Snake” by D.H. Lawrence — a powerful poem exploring the conflict between instinct and social education, as the poet encounters a snake at a water trough.
Snake Poem Line by Line Explanation By D.H Lawrence
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Summary of Snake Poem By D.H Lawrence
Poet Introduction – D.H. Lawrence
The full name of D.H. Lawrence was David Herbert Lawrence. He was a great writer, novelist and poet of England, who gave a new vision to the world of writing in the early 20th century. He was born in the year 1885 and died in 1930. He is famous for his poems and novels on human psychology, sexual consciousness, social bonds and deep relations with nature.
The poem “Snake” was written during Lawrence’s stay in Italy. It is not just an encounter with a snake, but this poem makes us aware of the dual mentality of man, social teachings and the truth of human attitude towards nature.
Background & Structure of the poem
This poem is written in free verse – that is, it has no fixed rhythm, rhyme or verse. This is an autobiographical work of Lawrence, in which he has described his encounter with a snake that came to drink water at his residence in Italy on a summer day.
In the poem, the poet highlights the inner conflict that exists within every human being – natural sensibilities on one hand, social and cultural prejudices on the other. This poem shows the battle between the honesty of the human mind and faulty upbringing.
Main Theme
Respect for natural creatures and their beauty.
Fear and hatred according to social norms.
Remorseful feeling of man.
Struggle between natural sensibility and learned negativity.
Summary of the Poem – In Detail
1. Summer Afternoon and the Arrival of the Snake
The poem begins with a very hot day. The poet leaves his room and goes to an old stone trough to drink water. When he reaches there, he sees that a snake is already drinking water there.
That snake does not look like an ordinary animal. Its colour is earthy-golden, and there is a majestic calmness in its movement. It slowly crawls towards the pool, and starts drinking water very gracefully.
2. The poet’s silent standing and observation
The poet is surprised to see the snake, but is not afraid. He neither chases it away, nor kills it. He just stands quietly and watches the snake carefully – as if he were watching a guest.
The poet feels that this snake is an invisible guest of his house, and it should be given full respect.
This is the moment when man’s natural compassion appears – without any greed, fear or command.
3. Beginning of mental conflict
But at the same time another voice arises within the poet – this voice is of the warnings received from his education, culture and society.
This voice says:
“You are crazy, this snake is dangerous.”
“Kill him, this is your bravery.”
“He is full of poison, he can attack at any moment.”
This conflict is extremely painful for the poet – his mind is attracted by the serenity of the snake on one hand, and on the other hand it is filled with the fear instilled by society.
4. The dignity and calm departure of the snake
The snake drinks water with full dignity. His way of drinking is also like that of an aristocrat – no hurry, no fear. When he has finished drinking water, he turns and leaves peacefully.
The poet watches the snake’s movement and the flexibility of its body with fascination. He feels that he is watching a natural king – that snake appears like a god.
5. Sudden violent act
As the snake reaches the wall of the pit and descends into it, the voice of ‘civilization’ sitting within the poet becomes active again. Suddenly he picks up a piece of wood and throws it at the snake.
But it doesn’t hurt. The snake stops for a while in fear and then disappears into the pit at a faster speed.
6. Remorse and Self-Reproach
As the snake leaves, the poet feels a deep sense of remorse. He feels that he has done a grave injustice to an innocent and peaceful creature.
He thinks — “I ruined a beautiful experience.”
“I humiliated a majestic creature with the fear inside me.”
He feels that he has degraded himself because of cowardice, ignorance, and hollow ideals of civilization.
Symbolic Interpretation
Snake: Not just a creature, but it symbolizes the power, peace, and mystery of nature.
Poet: It represents every human being — who has compassion and the conditions of society.
Water Trough: The source of life – where all living beings come from, whether it is human or snake.
Throwing a stick: Symbol of man’s self-pity – when he turns away from his true feelings under social pressure.
Moral Lessons
Every living being deserves respect: whether it is a snake or any other creature. One should not judge a person only on the basis of his caste fear or social image.
Civilization has taught us a lot, but some things we have to understand by experiencing ourselves.
Self-awareness and facing the truth is the greatest quality of a human being.
There is only one way to avoid regret – taking the right decision at the right time.
❤️ Depth of the poem from an emotional point of view
This poem starts with a simple incident, but gradually it takes us to the depths of human consciousness.
The way the poet expresses his remorse reflects true human emotion.
At the end of the poem he says:
“And I wished he would come back, my snake…”
That is, he wishes that the snake would come back again – perhaps this time he could just enjoy its presence instead of killing it.
Conclusion
“Snake” is not just the story of a creature. It is the story of the human soul. It shows how we often suppress our inner compassion under the pressure of society.
D.H. Lawrence taught us that we should trust our natural understanding and sensitivity – because that is what makes us truly human.
This poem is a mirror of humanity – in which we can see our own weaknesses, guilt and possibilities of improvement.
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