The mariner intellectualizes and represses the reality that he was wrong in killing the Albatross. He cannot face the reality of his actions, nor accept the responsibility that comes along with them. Thus, through rationalization and avoidance, the mariner divorces himself from responsibility; he enables himself to live in what he believes to be the truth.

Initially, the mariner reveals intell

ectualization characteristics when his ship encounters a storm. He notices that the Albatross has been following the ship ever since the storm began and blames the bad weather on the bird. So instead of just feeling and reacting to the storm, he rationalizes and analyzes it as the bird’s fault, thus placing responsibility on the Albatross for the horrible weather. Therefore as a result he kills the bird with his cross bow. He comments on their disapproving looks by saying, “And I had done an hellish thing, / And it would work ‘em woe: / For all averred, I had killed the bird / That made the breeze to blow. / Ah wretch! Said they, the bird to slay, / That made the breeze to blow!” (Coleridge, 35). The mariner is in shock that the people on the ship are all looking at him in horror. He refuses to be held liable and feels no remorse for shooting the Albatross, and can’t understand why his crew responds by crying out against his actions. However, once the fog beings to clear the crew become convinced that the bird was bad luck and they say in agreement with the mariner, “Then all averred, I had killed the bird / That brought the fog and mist. / ‘Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, / That bring the fog and mist” (Coleridge, 35). Moreover, when things get worse and the crew again blames him for their bad fortune. The mariner responds in disbelief and confusion, “Ah! Well-a-day! What evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung” (Coleridge, 37). His crew, in distress and starvation, throw all guilt on the mariner for causing this. The mariner brushes off their anger as insignificant, it is no big deal for him to carry to blame from his crew. He intellectualizes his actions as justified and rightly, and thus, he begins to repress the idea as well.

Once more, he divorces himself from responsibility for his actions, another example of Freud’s Oedipus complex. He realizes that his men are dropping dead around him and he cannot do anything to stop it, yet he doesn’t realize that the reason this is happening is because of his sinful actions. Deep down he knows why the crew is dropping dead, because he obviously cannot look at them, yet he doesn’t admit to knowing the real cause. Instead he blames it on the evil spirits, shifting the liability of it all to their side. The mariner avoids making eye contact with the dead cr

Some topics in this essay:
Ancient Mariner, Freud’s Oedipus, Virgin Mary, Mary Queen, killed bird, killing albatross, averred killed bird, rotting sea, wrong killing albatross, killed bird /, wrong killing, bird /, / dead, coleridge 47, averred killed, / breeze, bad weather, / sky sea, sea sea sky,