Many Christians wear the crucifix as a reminder of the love Jesus Christ had for his people, but more importantly that he died for their sins. I believe there is a very strong allusion to the same type of relationship between the Ancyent Marinere and the Albatross. In The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere, Wordsworth writes in the last stanza of Part II “Instead of the Cross the Albatross about my neck was hung.” There is never a reason for why the Marinere shot the albatross, but because of this sin the Albatross lost it's life. The Marinere becomes forever in debt to the Albatross and is forced to tell his story over and over again by Life-in-Death.
Similarly, Christians are in forever debt to Jesus Christ who died on the cross for their sins. They must spend their entire life trying to repay a debt that will never be settled, leaving an everlasting moral guilt. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 7:21). One must truly and full heartedly repent their sins to enter heaven. I cannot help but wonder would the Marinere truly be sorry for what he did if it were not for his punishment? Perhaps this is why Life-in-Death won the dice match to keep the Marinere in an eternal mental purgatory. A state of agony that is displayed in the Marinere's face of sorrow.
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Sarah -
ReplyDeleteYou focus on a line that clearly illustrates the poem's Christian symbolism and give some thoughts on how its Christian ideas might operate. Of course, the seemingly arbitrary nature of both the Mariner's crime and punishment complicates the possibility of locating any straightforward moral message.