Why did the old sailor kill the albatross?

Answer

Why did the old sailor kill the albatross?

In Coleridge’s (1772-1834) “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798), the old sailor/the Mariner kills the Albatross without any reason. This makes his act seem senseless and shocking. This act is the main event that leads to all his suffering.  

A Bird of Good Omen: At first, the Albatross is seen as a good sign. It appears when the Mariner and his crew are trapped in the icy waters of the South Pole. When the sailors feed the bird, the ice around them breaks, and the wind starts blowing again. The ship is able to move forward. The crew believes the Albatross has brought them good omen/luck.

Killing Without Reason: For some unknown reason, the Mariner shoots the Albatross with his crossbow. The mariner narrates:

“With my cross-bow

I shot the ALBATROSS.”

He does not explain why he did it. He does not seem to have any strong reason. He simply kills the bird without thinking. He does not value the bird’s life. His careless action is a sin against God’s creation—because the Albatross was a bird of good omen and an innocent creature of God.

The Mariner’s crewmates are furious at first. They call him evil. But when the weather stays calm, they change their minds and support his crime—saying the bird caused bad luck. This makes them guilty too. Hence, the crewmates are punished.

Significance: The killing of the Albatross is the heart of the story. Killing the albatross is a sin—a crime against God and nature’s balance. The bird symbolizes innocence and the beauty of creation, and the Mariner destroys it for no reason. Hence, he suffers immensely from this sin. The crewmates hang the dead albatross around his neck like a heavy punishment. The mariner narrates:

“Instead of the cross, the Albatross

About my neck was hung.”

The Mariner’s suffering begins to end when he learns to love all living things. The