Water In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

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Recommended: The theme of Christianity in the life of the ancient mariner

Often, Christianity is portrayed using symbolism. A commonly used Christian symbol is water. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge uses water symbolism to portray the Christ and his teachings. In Part II, after the mariner kills the albatross, the water supply runs short and the mariner bewails his state, “Water, water, everywhere, / And all the boards did shrink; / Water, water, everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink” (119-122). To fully understand the symbolism of this passage, one must first understand the killing of the albatross. The killing of the albatross represents a grievous sin. In essence, the mariner rejects Christ and his teachings by killing the albatross. Guilt sweeps over him because of this sin. This passage is crucial, because the mariner bemoans the lack of water, yet he is amidst the vast ocean. The reason for this ironic situation is to …show more content…

After the mariner has blest the water snakes, the mariner falls asleep, then recalls, “The silly buckets on the deck, / That had so long remained, / I dreamt that they were filled with dew; / And when I awoke, it rained” (306-309). Unlike the previous paragraph, here the mariner’s heart has been opened. He blest the water snakes in his heart. Inferring that he has opened his heart, making it no longer dry and inaccessible to Christ. He is once again surrounded by the waters of Christ, but this time they come in the form of rain. The rain is clean, pure water; the mariner can finally drink it. His quenches his thirst. Symbolically, he lets the living waters flow into his life again. In this story, the mariner never again thirsts, showing, as said in John 4, “whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”
In Conclusion, religious symbols are found through The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The symbolism of water runs freely throughout the work. Coleridge uses this to symbolizing Christ and his

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