Guilt

In response to The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In the poem we learn about how killing the Albatross has caused the mariner a great deal of pain. It was a simple action of his that he did not expect to haunt him for the rest of his life. The poem takes on a religious feel with some of the phrases and images presented. In my opinion, I believe that these images mirror that of Christianity. One quote I feel summarizes what the Mariner is experiencing, "Instead of the Cross the Albatross About my neck was hung" (lines 137-138). Two images come to mind. The first being the Christian image of Christ bearing the cross, a cross that represented his role in saving humanity. The second image that came to mind was of how Christians often wear small crosses around our necks. I think that nowadays more an more Christians wear a small medal cross and fail to remember what it is supposed to mean. We wear it without any guilt and yet certain branches of Christianity, like Catholicism, are often critiqued for structuring moral lessons around guilt. With that said, this poem follows a common structure of Catholic morality. The Mariner did not have a choice to ignore his burden. When he killed the Albatross it became his burden. He had to carry that story around with him to tell others. What is more interesting, is that telling it gave him no relief from his guilt. Rather, it seems that every time he tells the story, his guilt takes on a stronger presence. The Albatross hung in place of any cross as a symbol of his guilt. In the poem we never learn why the mariner killed the bird; we simply learn that the consequence was much more than expected. In discussion, it was asked if the mariner should feel so guilty and burdened by killing a bird? I myself am not that sure. Naturally, the heavy burden of guilt is intended to go along with the moral messages being conveyed. I do think that it is interesting to remind us of how guilt works. Sometimes it sneaks up on us when we least expect it. Much like the mariner we have all been surprised at how certain actions can make us feel guilty, however, the severity of the mariner's guilt is thought provoking. To be forced to continuously relive an event that causes so much pain and yet brings much wisdom is not something that I feel we recognize as easily. Guilt has a strong influence at taking our lives and views in new directions.