The Forsaken Merman

In "The Forsaken Merman," the merman's wife departs because she feels a strong pull towards her human faith and community. She returns to the human world to pray and reconnect with her religion,...

The allegorical significance of "The Forsaken Merman" is to critique the way a "grey," faded Victorian Christianity pulled individuals away from vital communal life and isolated them.

The undersea setting where Margaret lived with her family consists of cool, dimly lit caverns, surrounded by open water where animals swim. The family’s cave contains a golden throne, and the sea...

"The Forsaken Merman" is a suitable title because it reflects the central theme of abandonment. The poem narrates how the merman's wife leaves him and their children to return to human life and...

The speaker in "The Forsaken Merman" is the merman himself, who laments the departure of his human wife, Margaret. He calls out to their children, who remain with him under the sea after Margaret...

The sea's underground world, where the merman's family resides, is depicted as a tranquil and peaceful realm with "sand-strewn caverns, cool and deep." The environment is serene, with underwater...

Margaret ignores her children because they represent a life she has chosen to leave behind for her religious faith. In "The Forsaken Merman," she leaves her home under the sea to attend church on...