“The Wanderer” conveys the grief and sorrow of a solitary man who had once been happy under the rule of his lord, but is now confronted with frozen waves and winter cold. The memories of his former happiness makes him depressed as he journeys into his destined life of exile. The past and present collide, between the nostalgic glory of the past and the misery of the moment. The theme of isolation and fate dominates “The Wanderer”. The greater part of the poem gifts an insight into the mind of a physical and spiritual outsider. The wanderer has been exiled from his clan, and is forced to travel the land on his own. While he wanders in the absence of life around him, he thinks about his hardships constantly. He is completely alone and has no living …show more content…
59-65) A wise man must accept that riches decline, kingdoms fall, lords die, and their followers disappears. The wanderer ultimately realizes that everything is subject to fate. He declares that the Creator of Men has made the world impulsive, and that anyone is vulnerable to sufferings at any given time; things can quickly transform. The Wanderer theorizes that the Creator of Men, is also wise. He, similar to the Wanderer, also must mourn the loss of treasure, mead-halls, and celebrated leaders. Even a wise man will “ponder how dread is that doom when all the world’s wealth shall be scattered and waste” (ll.66-67). He knows of the same struggles. The Wanderer determines, life is difficult. Everything and everyone will succumb to destiny. Wealth disappears, friends go, and empires collapse. The Wanderer accredits these remarks to a wise man. He defines this man as someone who is balanced in his faith and, stays composed until he can decipher an answer to a problem. He recalls God’s undying love for those who suffer as he says, “He must never too quickly unburden his breast Of its sorrow, but eagerly strive for