An Eco—critical Interpretation of the Conflicts in the Poem “Snake”

李晨

【Abstract】The poem “Snake” is a significant masterpiece of the versatile author D.H. Lawrence， dealing with a story between a man and a snake. According to the poem， the mans attitude towards the snake experiences three stages， indicating the ecological conflicts. This paper is intended to make an Eco-critical interpretation of such tension， aiming to achieve a better understanding of this poem.

【Key words】Eco-criticism； Tension； “Snake”

1. Introduction

“Snake” is one of the great poems of D.H. Lawrence， a well-known novelist and poet. It describes the real experience of Lawrence that when he goes to the trough on a hot day， he occasionally meets a snake drinking water there. The snake arouses his psychological conflicts of three stages： reverence， hesitation and regret， causing the ecological tension in this poem. In 1972， Joseph W. Meeker put forward the conception of “literary ecology” and advocated more researches on nature in literature. Moreover， Eco-criticism Reader： Landmarks in Literary Ecology gave a hint that Eco-criticism as a criticizing perspective dealt with both literature and the earth and as a theory discourse coordinated the relationships between human beings and non-humans. This paper is intended to make an Eco-critical interpretation of man-nature relation.

2. Eco-critical Interpretation of the Conflicts

2.1 Conflicts between Human and Nature in “Snake”

The snake and “I” both go to the trough to have a drink. The snake has arrived there earlier than “me”， at the very beginning， “I” just treat it as a silent guest. Here， the poet uses the repetition of “must wait” to show “my” respectful attitude towards it. However， the ecological tension comes then. In terms of the education “I” have received， the golden snakes in Sicilian are venomous. Although the snake in front of me is very gentle， it may threat “my” life. “I” must kill it to protect “myself”. But after hurting it with a “clumsy log”， “I” feel guilty and rethink it as “a king in exile” for it is “earth-brown， earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth”， part of nature. As a member on this planet， “I” should drink water equally with the snake， but instead， “my” horror promotes “me” to kill it， which forms one conflict in the poem. Besides， theres another ecological conflict that “I” fear nature to a certain degree. “I” am afraid to be revenged by nature like the shellback in “the Ancient Mariner”， who was killed by nature for his killing the albatross， the symbol of nature.

2.2 Analysis of the Conflicts

The conflicts in the poem mainly come from the humanistic education “I” have received. On one hand， the scientific knowledge reminds me of the poisonous feature of the snake； on the other hand， from a religious aspect， “I” am deeply influenced by the Christianity. As described in the poem， the narrator repeatedly points out that the snake is “from the burning bowls of the earth”， indicating the snake is like the vicious Satan， a snake tempting Adam in the Old Testament. Therefore， the noxious and evil snake should be killed and my cognition about the snake results in my damage to it eventually.

Whats more， anthropocentrism is presented in this poem， for example， at the beginning， the narrator says that “A snake came to my water-trough”. The word “my” emphasizes that “I” am in possession of the trough， implying the snake is now invading the place of “mine”. And the snake is a symbol of nature， so the conflicts naturally fall on human and nature， representing the ecological binary opposition. Meanwhile， the doctrines “I” received make “me” misunderstand the nature（snake）， exacerbating “my” fear. Thus， at this moment， “my” conception of anthropocentrism is also aggravating， forcing me to take measures to get rid of the threat immediately. Finally， the narrator beats the snake clumsily with a log， thinking that “if he was a man， he must break it and finish it off”. Such an idea of “me” directly breaks “my” harmonious relationship with nature， isolating nature in the ecological circle. In addition， D.H. Lawrences hatred to the intensifying industry makes the ecological conflict a significant tension in “Snake”.

3. Conclusion

By describing the three mental stages of the narrator， the poet tries to show how the human beings revere， misunderstand， and fear the nature when straightforwardly confronted with it. This paper makes an Eco-critical analysis of the ecological conflicts presented in the poem. However， the end of this poem also indicates that nature is the king， and man should not only protect it but also respect its holy existence， showing Lawrences limitation. Actually， the harmonious equality between man and nature means that they need to obtain mutual benefits， and neither of them should undertake the domain role on the earth for the purpose of establishing a healthy ecological circle.

References：

[1]Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm，ed.The Ecocriticism Reader：Landmarks in Literary Ecology.The University of Georgia Press.1996.

[2]曹孟勤.超越人類中心主義和非人類中心主義[J].學術月刊， 2003（6）：19-23.