A Psychoanalytic Comparative Study on Lawrence’s “Snake” and Bishop’s “The Fish”

D. H. Lawrence’s “Snake” and Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish” are two important poems which reflect the poet’s connection with nature by employing psychoanalytical theory. These poems are studied to discover basic psychological problems in the poets’ subconscious minds. Lawrence’s meeting with the snake symbolizes challenges against his excessive desires and constantly changing mind. He can obtain the real essence of life only through his deep journey into his inner self. Similarly, Bishop’s initial encounter with the fish foreshadows her adventure towards self-realisation. She can travel in her subconscious world to discover the disordered parts of her life that lead her to mental trauma. The present study searches for the themes of suppression, desire and transformation of both poets by using Freudian understanding of psychoanalytic theory. In other words, the paper highlights the poets’ distinct endeavours to meet the unconscious and how their changeable psychology affects the mood of their selected poems. Both poems touch upon similar themes, and their divergent ways of approaching the unconscious mind reveal a distinctive understanding of human psychology. In this respect, the article seeks to uncover the symbolic implications of the animals and search how the poets’ inner conflicts are demonstrated through their encounters with them.