Certainly any work of literature could be argued to have a
number of different themes, and this excellent short story by D. H. Lawrence is no
exception. However, one of the themes that I found interesting was the way that society
is regarded. Throughout this short story, the two central characters are variously shown
to be repressed by society, albeit in different ways.
Mabel
is clearly impacted greatly by society because of her poverty. Consider how the text
describes this impact:
Why should she think? Why should she answer
anybody? It was enough that this was the end, and there was no way out. She need not
pass any more darkly along the main street of the small town, avoiding every eye. She
need not demean herself any more, going into the shops and buying the chepaest
food.
We can see therefore
that it is partly the stigma of poverty applied to her by society that drives her to
attempting to commit suicide.
Yet at the same time,
Fergusson is just as impacted by society. Note how his success as a doctor makes him
feel that he is too good for the town that he describes as a "hellish hole." His feeling
of superiority causes him to fear for what others would think when he has declared his
love for Mabel:
That he should love her? That this was love! That
he should be ripped open in this way! Him, a doctor! How they would all jeer if they
knew! It was agony to him to think they might
know.
Throughout the story
therefore, society is presented as a destructive and dominant force, that compels
characters to act and think and feel unnatural actions, thoughts and emotions, even as
they surrender themselves to their true natures.
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