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Felix Randal - G. M. Hopkins

This poem was written by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Jesuit priest, about Felix Randal, the village blacksmith. As a priest, Hopkins cared for the sick villagers. Felix Randal was once a strong, hardy blacksmith but fell ill with four disorders and became weak. Hopkins took care of him kindly as his condition deteriorated. Though initially angry at his fate, Randal became peaceful with Hopkins' care. After months of illness, Randal passed away, and Hopkins reflects on the fragility of human life and how even strong men can become weak, at God's will.

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319 views2 pages

Felix Randal - G. M. Hopkins

This poem was written by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Jesuit priest, about Felix Randal, the village blacksmith. As a priest, Hopkins cared for the sick villagers. Felix Randal was once a strong, hardy blacksmith but fell ill with four disorders and became weak. Hopkins took care of him kindly as his condition deteriorated. Though initially angry at his fate, Randal became peaceful with Hopkins' care. After months of illness, Randal passed away, and Hopkins reflects on the fragility of human life and how even strong men can become weak, at God's will.

Uploaded by

Amali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Felix Randal – Gerad Manly Hopkings

We should know that the poet was a Jesuit priest. His writings are therefore based on
his religious experiences. He sees the world through the eyes of a priest. Victorian era
however not a sensitive one. Remnants of the factory system prevailed upon the Victorian
time too. Any way the Victorian period saw an unprecedented development in every field in
the latter part but the earing part of that was tremendously pathetic. Hopkins poem ‘Felix
Randal’ has been written through one of the first hand experiences being a priest. According
to his society, the priest was the care taker of the sick. In that case, he had to look after the
sick me of the village. We come to know that Felix Randal was the farrier in the village.
“Farrier” means the blacksmiths who beans the hoofs for horse. At that time, horse was the
major means of travelling and horses need hoofs. The farrier was thus a prominent figure in
the village.
As we are told, this poem was written after Felix Randal the blacksmith was dead. The
narrator says, “Felix Randal the farrier, Oh, he is dead then”. The narrator cannot believe
that Randal is dead. He says that his duty all ended. That means his duty of looking after the
sick man ended. Felix one time was a strong man with a able body but that the poet had to
take over the responsibility of looking after the sick man. Now his duty is over since the sick
one dead. The narrator tells that he has watched Randal’s mould of man. Randal was big-
boned and hardy handsome. A blacksmith should be a strong man, otherwise beating iron is
not possible. Felix was always pinning steel hoops until he fell sick. He fell in to four
disorders. That means he fell sick with four types of health disorders. As we read sickness
broke him. At the beginning f his illness he cursed the fate but he got adjusted to that with
the process of time.
The priest being he care taker of the sick anointed oil on the body of the patient. It
was when he treated Felix Randal kindly, a heavenlier heart began. That means the narrator
becomes very kind to the sick man. Some months earlier, he had their sweet reprieve and
ransom. That means there was punishment for both the sick man and the care taker. God
punished Randal for his evils and priest had to treat the sick one. In that manner priest was
also given a punishment. Any way now, the sick man is dead and God to rest him all road
ever he offended. Being a priest, the poet expresses his poetic views with a religious angle.
The priest fulfilled his duty in both ways, looking after the sick man and wishing him God’s
benison to rest in peace. The poet tells that there developed a great bond between the
priest and the sick man. That is what he says as, “this seeing the sick endears them to us, us
too it endears”. The narrator tells that his tongue had taught the sick man comfort touch and
had quenched his tears. We understand that the poet wants to say that he comforted the
sick one’s minds with his kind words. The tears of the sick man also touched the heart of the
priest. We find him addressing the sick man as ‘child’. Being a priest, every one in his order is
a child. The poet also gives us an idea about the vanity and frustration of human life. The
poet is in a preoccupation to understand the past years of Randal passing boisterous years.
That I the life that God gave him.
He was a stronger man who beat iron boisterously. The narrator is in an indecision to
believe that such a powerful man becoming weak. Once he was a well-built, strong and
hardworking blacksmith but again became a child to be looked after by another one. The
poet is not in a clear perception of this difference. Strong and weak is the difference that
was created by God. Why did God. Treated the same man in a different manner. He recalls
how the farrier was at work with the random grim forge powerful amidst peers. All day he
strived in beating hoofs for the feet of horses. In accordance with the time, his service was
essential. Finally, we are told that he produced fettle for the great grey horse his bright and
battering sandals.
Stronger man too had to be a child before some one else and then died at last
pathetically. This is the life and death. The poet combines this theme of life and death with a
catholic theme of God deciding everything of mankind. His life and death were also decided
by God himself.
Allusion, personification, apostrophe, rhetorical question, flashback, irony are the
techniques which the form of the poem is an elegy or a dirge.

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