D.H. Lawrence and time: a look at the Plumed Serpent

Time is a deeply significant notion in all of D. H. Lawrence's works, but nowhere more so than in his novel The Plumed Serpent. The most complete expression of Lawrence's "religious doctrine," The Plumed Serpent exposes time to be both the bane of man and his salvation, depending upon the relationship he fosters between himself and the unseen reality of "Life" in the cosmos. In this connection, the novel can be seen as consisting of two "sections." The Mexicans of the first "section" of the novel are mired in the past because of foreign influence, antagonism toward their land, and the lack of a Mexican-like savior to lead them to God and, thus, a proper relationship with all three elements of time (past, present, and future). After the reintroduction of the ancient god Quetzalcoatl, however, the Mexicans learn to achieve a balance in the present (the "Eternal Now") between the past (the way of the flesh) and the future (the way of the spirit). Moreover, the three main characters of the novel each seem to symbolize one of the elements of time, with Kate's "present" orientation giving us the novel's dominant time-sense.