Christianity In The Seafarer

Many Anglo-Saxon works of literature have begun as stories passed through generations orally. While passing the work along, people tend to slightly deviate from the original, resulting in the literature’s modification several times. Pagan in origin, the stories take a Christian influence once textualized by Christian monks. The monks insert Christian values and beliefs which impact the themes of the work. “The Seafarer” is one of these pieces. The author highlights his travels at sea and how they influence his life and views of the world through a Christian lens. In “The Seafarer”, the writer draws parallels between his travels at sea, people’s actions on land, and Christian values to demonstrate that when life presents people with hardships, if people follow the right path, they will receive rewards. Although his travels at sea are rough, the author continues his voyages because he wants to follow the words of God, and he realizes the thrill of sailing in the harsh waters. The writer initially exiles himself to escape his land and do what he believes is proper. He faces tough waters and seems to dread every waking moment. Despite the miserable conditions, he repeatedly returns to the sea to continue to pursue his righteous path and begins to reap rewards for embarking on his …show more content…
No amount of gold or falsified flattery will fool God into believing that a person has followed the correct path. The author decides to avoid the corruption altogether and embarks on his own honorable path, allowing him to experience a reward that others do not have the opportunity to receive, which emphasizes the importance of doing the right thing even when the circumstances dictate otherwise, and one will receive rewards by doing