The Woman Who Rode Away - Classic Text | Alexandria
The Woman Who Rode Away by D. H. Lawrence, a short story of stark beauty and unsettling enigma, probes the chasm between cultures and the allure of the unknown. More than a simple tale of a woman abandoning her life, it’s a stark exploration of faith, sacrifice, and the seductive power of the primitive. Indeed, the very title invites debate: Was she a victim or a willing participant? Was her journey liberation or obliteration?
Published in 1925 as part of Lawrence’s collection St. Mawr Together with The Princess, the story arrives amidst the burgeoning modernist movement. This era, disillusioned by the horrors of World War I and the perceived failures of Western civilization, saw a fascination with the exotic, the untamed. Lawrence, deeply influenced by anthropological studies of indigenous cultures and personally disillusioned with industrialized society (as documented in his letters and essays of the period), channels these anxieties into his narrative. His own travels, particularly his time in Mexico, provided the raw material for his fictional landscape.
Over time, analysis of The Woman Who Rode Away has evolved, shifting from simple condemnation of cultural appropriation to nuanced explorations of gender, colonial power dynamics, and the allure of the ‘other.’ Figures like Kate Millet in Sexual Politics have criticized Lawrence’s portrayal of women, viewing the protagonist as a victim of male dominance. Conversely, postcolonial critics have examined the story’s uncomfortable depiction of indigenous rituals and the white character's romanticized, yet ultimately fatal, encounter with a foreign culture. The woman’s motivations remain a source of fascination. Did she seek spiritual awakening, escape a loveless marriage, or simply succumb to a fatalistic curiosity? The story serves as a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in seeking transcendence through cultural appropriation.
Today, Lawrence’s story continues to provoke. It acts as a cautionary tale about the seductive, yet dangerous, allure of the "primitive" and the complexities of cultural exchange. Its enduring power lies in its ambiguity and the uncomfortable questions it raises about our own desires, fears, and the price we are willing to pay for understanding the unknown. What do we truly seek when we abandon the familiar, and at what cost do we find it?