Question

Discuss he themes which occur in the poem snake in about 200-250 words

Answer 1

There are two main themes in the poem: the relationship of people to nature and the narrator's own sense of identity.  

The narrator offers us two possible ways we can relate to the natural world. The first way is to admire the beauty and grace of the snake. Even though the snake has the potential to be dangerous, we are actually in no danger from it if we simply stand by and observe while it drinks, appreciating its grace and wildness. The second way to relate to nature is through fear and anger, destroying even the possibility of any form of competition or danger to humanity. 

The narrator initially takes the first stance:

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, but even so, honoured still more

That he should seek my hospitality

From out the dark door of the secret earth.

Temporarily, his "accursed human education" and sense of his masculine identity get the better of him, and he hurls a log at the snake. He immediately feels remorse and realizes that the act was petty and in fact morally wrong

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Answer 2

There are two main themes in the poem: the relationship of people to nature and the narrator's own sense of identity.

The narrator offers us two possible ways we can relate to the natural world. The first way is to admire the beauty and grace of the snake. Even though the snake has the potential to be dangerous, we are actually in no danger from it if we simply stand by and observe while it drinks, appreciating its grace and wildness. The second way to relate to nature is through fear and anger, destroying even the possibility of any form of competition or danger to humanity.

The narrator initially takes the first stance:

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, but even so, honoured still more

That he should seek my hospitality

From out the dark door of the secret earth.

Temporarily, his "accursed human education" and sense of his masculine identity get the better of him, and he hurls a log at the snake. He immediately feels remorse and realizes that the act was petty and in fact morally wrong.


In the poem "Snake," Lawrence utilizes a theme of nature and contrasts the world of nature and creatures such as the snake with the human world of man. He contrasts the basic nature of the snake to simply "be," acting only with instincts to the actions of man that are so conflicted by conscious thought and emotion.

In both his physical descriptions of the snake and his actions as well as the conflicting emotions both revering and disgusted by the snake throughout the poem, Lawrence continues to contrast the simple wonder of nature with the complicated condition of being human.

Along with the differences the poem refers to between nature and humanity, the poem also brings the two together. The images Lawrence paints with words depict the dichotomy of the condition of being human wherein we can identify with the simple, instinctive life of the snake, even longing for that simplicity at times while acknowledging the human condition that confines us.

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