The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Mariner now moves on to tell the Wedding Guest the final part of his story. He describes the Hermit in the small boat, and the conversation between the Hermit and the Pilot. The Hermit and the Pilot look at the Mariner’s ship much like the Mariner and the sailors looked at the ghost ship as it approached them. Despite their horror, they continue to move closer.

All of a sudden, the water groans and swirls and the Mariner’s ship starts to sink. The Mariner is rescued by the Pilot and his boat, which also starts to sink in the whirlpool. The Mariner starts to speak, which sends the men in the boat into fits as they believed the Mariner dead. The Mariner takes the oars and saves the men who have saved him. The Pilot’s Boy states that, “the Devil knows how to row” (26).

Once the group has safely reached the shore, the Mariner throws himself on the Hermit’s mercy and asks him for forgiveness. The Hermit is bewildered and asks the Mariner to elucidate. The Mariner tells the Hermit what he has been through. This is the Mariner’s first telling of his saga to another human being.