The theme of religion presents itself repeatedly over the course of the second half of the “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. When the Ancient Mariner first stepped on the boat with the Hermit and the Pilot’s he had a look of death about him. Even the Pilot Boy was laughing at the Ancient Mariner and said he thought that the old Mariner was the devil. It is important to note the times in which the Mariner and the Hermit begin to pray as these generally come at pivotal points in the poem. The Albatross represents sin and that is why the Ancient Mariner is forced to suffer for killing the great bird.
The main character who was the mariner had a change in heart and bent over to pray that the Albatross corpse slipped from his neck freeing him of the sin for killing the majestic creature. There are many parallels between the Ancient Mariner killing the Albatross and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Much like Adam and Eve the Ancient Man was punished because he failed to respect the boundaries that Christ has set for us. The Ancient Mariner was ignorant and thought he had and understanding of something that was far beyond of his reach. The seventh part of the poem is ripe with message that praying will solve all of your problems. The Hermit is used as a positive example how a person of faith should behave. Samuel Taylor Coleridge would claim that he did not intend for the poem to have any moral lessons. Rather that this is just an epic tale that needs to be told.
Although the author claims that nothing in the poem symbolizes religion that is clearly false. The hermit is a holy person and his demeanor is felt throughout the ending. Without the Hermit this poem would have no substance. This is a story about Christianity and the supernatural. The Hermit is essential in the development of either one. The Hermit was able to document the supernatural by witnessing the Ancient Mariner survive after being drown alive. At the end the Mariner the Hermit put more effort in the direction of Christianity and prayer. It is clear that because of the Hermits presence it helps the Ancient Mariner come to more peace with his relationship with God.
British Poetry Is a Beautiful Genre of Literature
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