Theme 6: Victims Flashcards
(10 cards)
- “The Albatross did follow, / And every day, for food or play, / Came to the Mariner’s hollo!”
Analysis:
• The Albatross is portrayed as innocent and friendly, symbolising pure, benevolent nature. Its death becomes a crime against innocence, enhancing the reader’s sense of injustice.
• The act of killing it becomes a symbolic sin—the Mariner murders not just a bird, but the harmony between man and nature, making the albatross a foundational victim in the poem.
• The contrast between the Albatross’s innocence and the Mariner’s unprovoked violence sharpens the moral stakes of the crime.
- “And I had done a hellish thing, / And it would work ‘em woe.”
Analysis:
• The Mariner’s crime causes collateral damage—his fellow sailors, though blameless, suffer the consequences of a sin they did not commit.
• This reflects a key idea in crime literature: that one criminal act can destroy many innocent lives.
• The use of “hellish” aligns the crime with eternal damnation, suggesting the depth of moral violation, especially when others are dragged into the punishment.
- “Each turned his face with a ghastly pang, / And cursed me with his eye.”
Analysis:
• As victims, the crew are not only physically destroyed but forced to bear witness to their fate, which deepens their suffering.
• The idea of being “cursed” with their eyes shows that victims can haunt the criminal long after the crime is committed.
• This becomes part of the Mariner’s internal torment—he is perpetually haunted by those he wronged, even without legal or worldly punishment.
- “With heavy thump, a lifeless lump, / They dropped down one by one.”
Analysis:
• The mechanical rhythm and harsh monosyllables mimic the relentless and impersonal nature of death, stripping the victims of dignity and individual identity.
• The phrase “lifeless lump” dehumanises the crew—emphasising how crime reduces its victims to objects, a hallmark of tragic victimhood in crime narratives.
• Their deaths are silent and unavenged, showing how justice does not always protect the innocent, deepening the moral horror.
- “The many men, so beautiful! / And they all dead did lie.”
Analysis:
• The emotive exclamation of “so beautiful!” reveals the Mariner’s belated recognition of the value of those he harmed.
• This reflects a tragic awareness in crime narratives: often, the criminal realises the worth of their victims too late.
• The sudden switch from beauty to death in the next line heightens the tragedy and horror of innocent suffering.
- “For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky / Lay like a load on my weary eye.”
Analysis:
• Though the Mariner is the criminal, this moment conveys psychological victimhood—he is trapped, oppressed by the moral weight of his actions.
• The inversion of victim/criminal roles here suggests a Romantic idea: that crime transforms even the perpetrator into a kind of victim, tormented by guilt and cosmic forces.
• However, this does not cancel out the suffering of others—it merely adds complexity to our perception of justice and victimhood.
- “Alone, alone, all, all alone / Alone on a wide wide sea!”
Analysis:
• The repetition and rhythm here mimic the isolation of the sole survivor, creating a sense of emotional abandonment.
• The Mariner becomes the last man standing, but instead of power, this gives him a crushing burden of survivor’s guilt—he is haunted by the ghosts of his victims.
• It emphasises how the consequences of crime are not just external (death) but also psychological and emotional.
- “The souls did from their bodies fly— / They fled to bliss or woe!”
Analysis:
• The ambiguous fate (“bliss or woe”) of the souls reflects the unresolved moral ambiguity surrounding the victims.
• This line raises uncomfortable questions: Were they punished too? Were they judged?
• It suggests that victims in crime narratives are not always clearly innocent, adding a layer of complexity that challenges a simple binary of good vs evil.
- “The body of my brother’s son / Stood by me, knee to knee.”
Analysis:
• By referencing a personal relationship, Coleridge intensifies the emotional weight of the victims—this isn’t a nameless sailor, but family.
• The use of “brother’s son” invokes a sense of familial betrayal, heightening the Mariner’s guilt and forcing the reader to see the victims as individuals, not abstractions.
• The closeness (“knee to knee”) is disturbing—it places the victim literally and emotionally inescapable to the Mariner, enhancing the torment of conscience.
- “The Wedding Guest sat on a stone: / He cannot choose but hear.”
Analysis:
• Though not directly harmed by the crime, the Wedding Guest is a psychological victim—forced into passive complicity by hearing the tale.
• His transformation (“a sadder and a wiser man”) shows how the Mariner’s crime echoes into the lives of others, affecting those beyond the immediate crime scene.
• This aligns with crime literature’s interest in the ripple effects of crime, especially through testimony and retelling.
