The Man Who Was Through With the World' picks up the same themes as in Lawrence's short story 'The Man Who Loved Islands'. He asks if we can ever withdraw from the world, no matter how much it disgusts us. The ironic part of this fragment is that the hermit vainly seeks to think holy thoughts while all around him is the natural world which could provide his life with meaning. The fragment is unfinished leaving the reader to wonder if the hero would return to the world, would the world come to him or would nature take its course and let him die in his hut.
