A review of Second Best

I have read a short love story, Second Best, by D H Lawrence.  Lawrence is good at using words to describe the scenery, animals and the relationships between men and women in great detail.

The Story is set in the British countryside in high summer.  The main character, Frances, is unhappy that she can't get the man of her choice, Jimmy, who is well educated but is a snob, and has got engaged.  So, she decides to go out with Tom, although he is her second choice.  Anne is Frances's younger sister, and thinks Tom is much better than Jimmy.

During my first read, I thought there were too many detailed descriptions of the natural surroundings and an incident in which Frances's sister kills a mole.  These did not interest me.  After I reread it, I realised the surroundings and the mole are used as a metaphor for Frances's feelings.  I did not only admire the author's use of language, but I was also interested in the plot.

At the beginning the author uses the weather and the colours of the scenery to describe Frances's mood, which is bad.  When she looks at the surroundings, which are strange and unfriendly, she feels alone and that she does not belong there.  When she decides to forget Jimmy, she has mixed feelings, both sad and cheerful.  Later, she meets Tom and the description of the scenery changes subtly to emphasize the practical aspect of landscape.

The mole represents Frances's blind love for Jimmy.  When the mole struggles, this represents her internal struggle to forget Jimmy.  The animal opens its mouth uncontrollably and bites her sister.  This represents Frances's anger but she does not know what to do or want to talk to anyone about her feelings.  The mole escapes briefly but does not know which way to go and at the same time Frances wants it to be gone, showing she wants to free herself from the memory of Jimmy but she can't.  If the mole had escaped, she could have secretly continued to love Jimmy.  In the end her love for Jimmy dies and she gives her love to Tom.

I would like to recommend this story to everyone, as it shows how the author uses words to paint pictures.