Similarities Between The Wife's Lament And The Wanderer

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In both “the Wife’s Lament” and “the Wanderer”, the characters experience the loss of a past that was happier than the present. The wife remembers happier times with her husband just like the Wanderer remembers the people from his town and happier times with his Lord. “The Wife’s Lament” and “The Wanderer” are examples of this theme of exile and loneliness.

The wanderer describes his loss like “They’re long since dead and my heart closed upon itself, quietly”. The Wanderer feels like he is the reason why the people of his town died and he blames himself for the death of his God. He drinks to forget about his loss. He has been “removed from his homeland, far from his kinsmen,” and searches for a location where he might be “received with gladness”. The wanderer travels the land and sea after the death of his lord to seek company. According to the book, “The Wanderer”, the loss of a lord and exile are told to be a common experience of the lives of Anglo-Saxon warriors. The wanderer is forced to search for a new lord during winter to restore his lost identity as a warrior. …show more content…

But regardless of the cold he is feeling, he leaves his home and the company of his lord who is dead, to travel through very rough weather conditions, risking the danger of not having the protection from his lord now. Despite all that, the Wanderer decides to face his danger with courage because he knows that