The Horse Dealer's Daughter

A detailed Summary of The Horse Dealer's Daughter


The Extremes That Come When Dealing With Poverty

The protagonist in D. H. Lawrence's "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" is Mabel. She faces many decisions, however her conflict is internal. Her family went from being wealthy, to losing everything that they had, due to poverty. When wealthy, the sense of money made Mabel proud, and now, in poverty, she feels insecure and overwhelmed (Lawrence 547 & 548). Her brothers and herself only have a short period of time to figure out where they each will live.

The reader's interest in the story is based on what will happen next. The reader tries to follow the events that take place in Mabel's mind. Mabel has a decision to make that may effect the rest of her life. She has no female friends, and no where to turn. She could go and live with her sister, but for whatever reason, that is not an option in Mabel's mind. Poverty really took a toll on Mabel's personality and way of life. "Mindless and persistent, she endured from day to day" (Lawrence 548).

The story is told starting in the middle and filling in the missi


The exposition reveals many important aspects of the family, as well as, the situations that each member faces. It reveals that the family only has a short period of time before they have to be out of their home. Their father died and left them in debt, which resulted in the loss of their home. Mabel is the only girl still living on "the ranch" with her three brothers. Mabel's brothers are trying to convince her that she has no other option except to go and live with her sister. The three brothers have already made arrangements and know where they will reside. Mabel feels as if everything has "come to an end, and there is no way out" (Lawrence 548).

In conclusion, when Mabel feels that there is no where else to turn, she resorts to desperate measures, and tries to end her life so that she will not have to deal with anymore pain or disappointment. However, if one will only look beyond the way something seems, they will find shelter in the ones that love them.

ng pieces through flashbacks. The order that the story is told allows the reader to place their own feelings and emot

Some common words found in the essay are:
Daughter Mabel, Joseph Pervin, Mabel Lawrence, lawrence 548, Dealing Poverty, lawrence 547, flashbacks reader learns, short period, lawrence 547 548, mabel walks lake, mabel walks, mabel's mind, live sister, foreshadows event, walking lake, 547 548, lawrence 549,

Approximate Word count = 732
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

join now Save Paper



Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.