The Truth be Told
...d been a Christian soul, we hailed it in Cod’s name (65-66),” but in line 83 the Mariner shoots the Albatross. The bird can be seen as purity of sprit and must be sacrificed to save the men, who cheer and speak of the bird as a bad omen. Coleridge’s first representation of the bird is that of a Christian view but shows us that when a problem arises our view can change as it did for the men. A feeling of betrayal passes through the crew when the bird is shot, yet a day later the sun rises and the Mariner is forgiven. In that short time an essential choice was made to forgive that could affect everyone. Soon sprits of revenge appear to the crew in the forms of Death and Life-in-Death and play for their souls. If the bird was a symbol of purity then Death and Life-in-Death are the dark in the souls. By killing the bird they have welcomed darkness and the judgment it brings; as well realizing that they no longer had a choice in their lives. Much of this poem is in two forms of writing symbolism and imagery which sets the mood for most of the poem. These tools are used to describe the elements and the pasting of the days. The Mariner believes his crew is dead and he is alone. “Alone, alone, all, all alone, / Alone on a wide wide sea!” (232) The image Coleridge offers is a man suffering with no help and no way home, yet he sleeps with the bodies as though nothing were wrong with them. However, during a storm the crew rises “They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose.”(331) A simple truth is the Mariner sleeps cause he is tried and hasn’t eaten in some time. Being the only survivor no could have helped him or is he lying about the men being dead? Since they treat him as an outcast for killing the bird; as a result, the crew moves when they believe he is sleep to isolate him form t...