Relationship Between Snake And Jim Burden

The big snake is a symbol of manhood and as such is an integral part of understanding Jim Burden coming to grips with his own masculinity. The snake in this sense represents a man who has become complacent in life. The snake was once in fighting prime however, a more cushioned lifestyle leads it to become weak. This weakness shows how mediocrity is directly in tandem with complacence and how one cannot exist without the other. Furthermore, Jim Burden mentions how the snake in its prime would have been a match for a boy such as himself. However, since the snake was old and complacent Jim Burden, a superior and more masculine force, was able to kill it. The fight between the snake and Jim Burden is social commentary on the life of men. If men
become weak they will be taken over by someone superior, in similar fashion to rattlesnakes, the world does not owe men a living. Killing the snake means that Jim Burden is becoming a man. The reader is able to identify this theme more clearly as they get to see Jim Burden’s masculinity develop. He is now able to command the respect of Antonia, which shows the reader how he has developed as a man.