Horse Dealer's Daughter
“When you are in love you know no fear or hatred. When you are fearful there is no possibility of love or hatred. And when there is hate, there is only hate.” (Unknown). To be in a relationship requires not only physical attraction but also an understanding of mutual respect for one another, a balance that ensures healthy companionship. An abusive relationship, physical or emotional, heavily influences an individual’s approach towards future companionship, tainting their feelings towards intimacy and attraction alike. In both “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” and the “Snake”, D.H Lawrence portrays strong disgust and contempt towards the arbitrary concept of love, more specifically the negative connotations associated with lust and desire. These
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opinions are held not only towards infatuation, but also women, who he seems to blame for the vulnerability that exists when two individuals fall in love.
Through the use of imagery and symbolism, D.H Lawrence demonstrates distorted relationships, emphasizing on the implicit vulgarities that exist in male/female companionship.
The poem “Snake” doesn’t discuss the animal but the epiphanic realization of the narrator as he observes it, awestruck and scared. The snake serves as a euphemism for physical intimacy; the conflict that takes place as the narrator deliberates over his feelings of attraction, which clash with his fearful thoughts. “…[He] stared [at the snake] with fascination…and [he] immediately regretted it” (62-63). This sense of revulsion stems from insecurities, which cause the narrator’s natural feelings of attraction to be suppressed with guilt. Likewise, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” uses the natural settings as a way to represent the emotions felt by Dr. Ferguson, who ultimately feels forced into a relationship with Mabel. In a desperate attempt to save Mabel from drowning, the young man “…went under, horribly suffocating in the foul earthy water, struggling madly for a few moments” (5). The pond, “square [and] deep”, is similar to a grave, and can be seen as a metaphor for the relationship itself; Jack saving Mabel by diving in is the beginning of his death as an independent man, his vulnerabilities now fully exposed. Much like the “Snake”, Lawrence continues with these apprehensions in this story, which ultimately represent his own views on intimacy being a threat to a male’s masculinity. He uses his own
failed relationships as means to justify this prejudice, distorting the appearance of a traditional relationship as seen in “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”.
opinions are held not only towards infatuation, but also women, who he seems to blame for the vulnerability that exists when two individuals fall in love.
Through the use of imagery and symbolism, D.H Lawrence demonstrates distorted relationships, emphasizing on the implicit vulgarities that exist in male/female companionship.
The poem “Snake” doesn’t discuss the animal but the epiphanic realization of the narrator as he observes it, awestruck and scared. The snake serves as a euphemism for physical intimacy; the conflict that takes place as the narrator deliberates over his feelings of attraction, which clash with his fearful thoughts. “…[He] stared [at the snake] with fascination…and [he] immediately regretted it” (62-63). This sense of revulsion stems from insecurities, which cause the narrator’s natural feelings of attraction to be suppressed with guilt. Likewise, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” uses the natural settings as a way to represent the emotions felt by Dr. Ferguson, who ultimately feels forced into a relationship with Mabel. In a desperate attempt to save Mabel from drowning, the young man “…went under, horribly suffocating in the foul earthy water, struggling madly for a few moments” (5). The pond, “square [and] deep”, is similar to a grave, and can be seen as a metaphor for the relationship itself; Jack saving Mabel by diving in is the beginning of his death as an independent man, his vulnerabilities now fully exposed. Much like the “Snake”, Lawrence continues with these apprehensions in this story, which ultimately represent his own views on intimacy being a threat to a male’s masculinity. He uses his own
failed relationships as means to justify this prejudice, distorting the appearance of a traditional relationship as seen in “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”.