The Role of Animals in the Story the Horse Dealers Daughter - Research Paper Example

?The Horse Dealer’s Daughter Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Role of Animals in the Story the Horse Dealer’s Daughter s 4 4 Conclusion 9 Works Cited 10 Introduction D.H. Lawrence was a very eminent novelist, poet, playwright, critic, essayist and painter. His writing career mostly flourished in the English language. All his works were mostly intended to captivate the theme pertaining to the ill-effects of modernity and industrialization leading to the dehumanizing of values and degradation of emotional quotient in humans (Malcolm and Malcolm 185). Apparently, his impeccable writings find profound expressions in his short stories as well. Lawrence’s short story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” written in the year 1922, is a story of Mabel, a daughter of a dead horse dealer, her brothers and her lover. According to the article ‘D.H. Lawrence: Celebrating A Literary Life’, the narration in “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” deals with exuberant emotional conquests and at the outset indicates an inherent tragedy imbibed within the plot of the story owing to the setting that was fully sullied and situations quite poor (The University of Nottingham, “DH Lawrence: Celebrating A Literary Life”). This essay intends to explore the role of animals in the story titled “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” and their relations along with comparisons of different characters portrayed the story. Apparently, the story presents a perception which indicates certain kind of tragedy inflicted upon the family of the horse dealer under the circumstantial forces. But by the end of the story, the core matter gets evolved which is indicative of a pungent satire and hue of a romantic-comedy running within the entire story line surface out. Lawrence, one must not forget, is a champion of dealing with human emotions and comprehending crucial human psychology. The concept which thrusts on the amalgamation of different people from different backgrounds, experiencing same situations in life from separate perspectives, and eventually end up after undergoing some sort of misunderstandings generating humors, finds poignant expression in the story. And thus, Lawrence twists and manipulates the love relationship of his protagonist Mabel into confusions, gradually making the plot more compelling. To hint at the inherent sarcasm within the plot of the story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”, Lawrence had to take refuge of many symbols and metaphors to address the intent latent within the plot. In manifesting so, Lawrence used ample animal imageries to fulfill his pursuit. These usages of animal imageries can be seen as a symbolic device operating within the plot of the story to achieve the end result generating a subtle sarcasm and humor in the story. So, the role of animals in the story and the relations between these animals and the characters do play an important role for their apt comprehension and development of their psychological evolution as well as trajectory. For example, Mabel’s plunge into a tiring day behind household chores has been narrated as similar to the role of an animal. There is very little scope for entertainment in her life. It is also assumed from her day to day activity that her mindset is almost like an animal. If we ponder upon the unruly and selfish attitudes of Mabel’s brothers, we get to see that their psychology is also influenced by the animals where their life is devoid of any special feelings or sentiments; similar to animals with which they have spent most of their life-time. The Role of Animals in the Story the Horse Dealer’s Daughter s The story “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” bears multiple themes. One of the poignant themes in the story is the concept of birth, death and rebirth explained at a cosmic level through the use of stark imageries. A meticulous comparison drawn between the story “Bliss” by Katherine Mansfield and “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” by Lawrence, explicates the impulse of modern writing that indicates the issues like sexuality, gender relations and desire in human beings, displaying the contribution of the phenomena like isolation and unfathomable depth of human mind. Andrew Maunder writes in his book, “The Facts on File Companion to the British Short Story”: “Mansfield’s story, “Bliss” and Lawrence’s story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” illustrate the modernist impulse to address sexuality, gender, and desire while also showing how it contributes to isolation and how it forms a most unknowable part of the human psyche” (Maunder 292). From this unknowable aspect of human mind evolves the relationship between the characters of human beings with animals and many innate objects around. Though animals do not fall into the categories of innate objects, yet with lesser sensibilities than man, these animals also share some common psychological features with human race. This would enable us to frame the background against which Lawrence has also drawn his comparative character analysis in the story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”. Andrew Maunder further explains the affinity of the writers of that age towards symbols. Maunder explains, “The short fiction of the period relies heavily on symbols such as this one in “Bliss” Mansfield uses a pear tree to signify the female protagonist’s burgeoning sexuality, and Lawrence uses animal symbolism extensively to similar purpose in his work, including stories such as “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”. The intersection between symbolism and psychological realism, the importance of the narrative experimentation, and the shared themes discussed are the key characteristics of modern fiction…” (Maunder 292). Thus, from the aforementioned examples, it becomes evident that following the hard-core trends of modern writing, Lawrence replicates ideation through interesting animal imagery in the story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”. Animals play a significant role in the narrative of the story. Lawrence uses imageries of horse and dog to explain the characteristics of the family members. Like Joe’s standing posture is compared to “horsey fashion” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). Again, Fred Henry is compared to “an animal which controls” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”) and Malcolm is explained having, “jauntymuseau” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”) in the story. The brothers and the family are deliberately shown having some kind of pride in animals, especially the horse. Undoubtedly, Lawrence does it very skillfully to explain the role of horse in the life of the family. They know it well that once the horses are gone from their lives, not only their livelihood will be over but also their lives are going to come to an abrupt end. Mabel expresses that her father was a rich horse dealer and once he is dead, there has been a considerable fall in their way of living. Joe is the eldest among the brothers. He is seen quite reluctant of the fact of leaving before his siblings are confident about resolving their plans. However, very contrarily, Joe is seen retreating to the old scheme of actions, eventually carrying the “tail between his legs” which again represents the nature of a dog (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). The brothers call their sister Mabel as “bull-dog” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). The author also terms the four brothers and one sister as four horses that are moving without any sense of direction. The author explains that their movement “showed a massive, slumberous strength and stupidity which held them in subjection” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). Mabel is compared to a bull-dog because she takes up all the responsibilities of the house, looks after it with the loyalty of a dog. And the movement of the brothers and sisters are just like horses tamed down in the harness that lack aim and aspiration in their life without master’s supervision or instruction. Hence, the brothers and sisters of the story are subjected to slumberous work and life of slavery like the horses exactly they are rearing. For Brother Joe, “The horses were almost like his own body to him. He felt he was done for now” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). Such was the significance of horse in the family and the death of their widowed father has led the family on the brink of ruin and burden of heavy debt from the horse dealing business upon their heads. Comparison of the brothers with animals time and again indicates their lack of sensibility and responsibility towards their sister. They only think about their own means of sustainability in the story, and like animals, they lack compassion or empathy. Their attitudes towards their sister compel her to attempt suicide in the latter half of the story. The role of animal as symbolized in the story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” therefore signifies a dehumanized style of life where characters are showing animal-like behavior. They form a world where the thin line of differentiation between friends and foes diminish like in the world of the animals. The dehumanized face of the characters in the story also helps to create the macabre and the morbid ambience which is indicative of the degradation of morale in mankind. Undoubtedly, the role of horse among all the other animals and imageries mentioned in the story is poignant. Jennifer. E. Michaels in her article “The Horse as a Life-Symbol in the Prose Works of D.H. Lawrence” states that “In Lawrence’s prose works, animal imagery abounds and one of the most important of these images is horse,...Usually it is introduced briefly but its appearance occurs invariably at key points in the plot and it functions symbolically” (Michaels, “The Horse as a Life-Symbol in the Prose Works of D. H. Lawrence”). Invariably, the role of horse since drawing the title of the story to the functionality within the plot assumes the same position in the narration of “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” similar to the explanation by Jennifer E. Michaels in her article regarding the role of horse in the works of Lawrence. It is mentioning worthy at this point in the essay that horses, individually as animals, appear in the story only once when they go out for the exercise. Yet, no one can diminish the pervading effect of the horse throughout the story. There is a great interplay of horses in and out of their harness along with its comparison with the different characters portrayed in the story. This particular way of narrative in the story manifests the role of horse and its implication at a greater realm within the plot of the story. It seems that through the horses that are under the bondage of the family, the members therein have spontaneously inculcated few characteristics of horses from them. Also harness and horses and its relation compliment the character development in the story time and again. For example, referring to the situation when Joe decides to sell off the house, he is engaged and wants to get married, it can be stated that getting married is equivalent with going to harness for him. Joe states he wanted to spend his life like an animal bound into the harness after marriage. As narrated in “The Horse Dealer's Daughter”, “He would marry and go into harness” (The Online Literature Library, “Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter”). Fred Henry’s inability to become the master of his own life is compared to the harnessed horses that are sullen and cannot be their own masters. Mabel’s comparison with horses and their harness operates at a different level. She undergoes physical strains and hardships of daily chores, which makes her slumberous and her passionate instincts get suppressed like the horses under heavy burden of work at the stable. His extreme pressure at the house actually keeps her in harness and a slightest titter to the suppressed passion flames her sensuality as it happens at the time of her attempted suicide (Garcia Leon, “Reading Ulysses at a Gallop”). Conclusion The story, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” undoubtedly weaves myriad layers of interpretation based on the imageries largely drawn from animals. Horses do play an important role in the story for the comprehension of the characters and development of the psychological evolution and trajectory of different characters within the plot of the story. The animals are not only a mere means of livelihood as portrayed in the narration of “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”, but far above this stance, the horses do stand as the end to the psychological framework inherent in the plot, transcending their role as a means to it. Also, the story “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” shares a space where the primitive animal-like instinct of the human beings surface out clearly which is supported through the metaphors drawn largely from the animal world in the story. Moreover, the complimentary relationship between the man and animal world and their interdependence on each other has been beautifully displayed in the story. Therefore, it shall not be specious stating that the role of animals in the story “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” by D.H. Lawrence is extraordinary in its exposition and universal in appeal. Works Cited Garcia Leon, Rafael I. “Reading Ulysses at a Gallop”. Papers on Joyce 3 (1997): 3-8. Print. Maunder, Andrew. The Facts on File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print. Michaels, Jennifer E. “The Horse as a Life-Symbol in the Prose Works of D. H. Lawrence”. The International Fiction Review 5.2 (1978): 116-123. Print. Malcolm, David and Cheryl Alexander Malcolm. A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print. “DH Lawrence: Celebrating a Literary Life”. The University of Nottingham, 2006. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. The Online Literature Library. Chapter 8 - The Horse Dealer's Daughter, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. Read More