Desolation In The Wanderer

Desolation has the power to decimate a person. The Wanderer lives in exile after his lord dies and looks to find a new one. He is alone because all of his beloved are “long since dead” (“The Wanderer” 11). He thinks about the past when his life was worth living in order to pass time. In the poem “The Wanderer”, the speaker uses his exile to express that living in the past is detrimental using psychological criticism. The Wanderer remembers the “long cheerful nights...with my lord I yet feasted” (33-34). The Wanderer becomes depressed when he realizes his current state and causes him to flashback to his cheerful times. He goes through a dream where he says “it seems I see my lord, kiss and embrace him” (41-42). The Wanderer keeps living in the past and it is psychologically deteriorating him. He is so desperate for someone that he imagines birds as his kinsman and they eventually start to “fade away, swimming soundlessly out of sight, leaving nothing” (52-54). His isolation from people forces him to live in the past when his memories were joyous. This psychologically gives him issues because he has nothing to look forward to in the future. Eventually he starts thinking about how dreadful his old kingdom must be with serpents “and like the wanderer 's dream, summoning shadows from the past, the once-known fullness and joys

The Wanderer starts off in exile living in dreams where he remembers the time when his life was enjoyable. He eventually transitions into reality where he believes that his journey is a mission sent by God to prove he is a wise man. The Wanderer was on the edge of going insane but was cured with the presence of God. A sage once told him that it is important to remain tranquil and have trust in God. The Wanderer’s desire to become like the sage allows him to take the wise man’s advice into