Previous Next

The Mystery of Creation

From our inherently limited perspective on this earthly plane, the mere existence of the world seems mysterious. This mystery has, since humanity’s earliest beginnings, caused us to ask: Why is there something instead of nothing? Where did it all come from? Humans have long speculated about how the world as we know it came into existence. It is this central mystery that motivates the speaker of “The Tyger,” who attempts to reason out what kind of creator might have created a creature like the tiger. The speaker begins with the simple observation that tigers are fearsome creatures. From this observation, the speaker speculates that if there is a creator who is responsible for creating the tiger, then the tiger’s fearsome nature must come from this creator. Furthermore, the creator must himself exhibit something of this same nature. And if that’s true, then it stands to reason that we humans should fear the creator. Through this inductive logic, the speaker attempts to infer something about the creator from what he has created. However, because this process of reasoning is essentially speculative, the creator’s intentions are still unfathomable to the limited human mind.

The Unsettling Existence of Wickedness

The reason the speaker focuses so intently on the tiger is that he or she sees this fearsome creature as a symbol of wickedness. In contrast to the gentle goodness of the lamb mentioned in line 20, the tiger is a decidedly frightening figure. The speaker reflects on the tiger’s terrifying nature from the very beginning of the poem, describing this creature as “burning bright, / In the forests of the night” (lines 1–2). Forests are the natural habitat for tigers, but the speaker infuses a sense of menace by specifically calling them “forests of the night.” Night suggests darkness, which in turn implies the terror of the unseen and, potentially, the presence of wickedness. Significantly, the implications of the tiger’s “fearful symmetry” (lines 4 and 24) go beyond just the tiger. Indeed, the speaker’s line of inquiry about the tiger may be read as a version of a very common theological question—namely, if there is a God, why would He allow evil to exist? Read in this way, the speaker’s interrogation of the tiger becomes a meditation on the unsettling existence of wickedness.

The Importance of Asking Questions

An essential element of “The Tyger” is the speaker’s questioning attitude. Beginning from basic observations of the world, the speaker allows the mysterious nature of creation to spur him or her to thinking. Specifically, the fearsomeness of the tiger drives the speaker into the restless line of inquiry that is sustained throughout the poem. By leading with questions, the speaker showcases an innately curious mind. The speaker attempts to expand a personal sphere of understanding by questioning the logic of the surrounding world. In doing so, the speaker reveals a tension between doubt and belief. On the one hand, the speaker clearly believes that there is some kind of creator who is responsible for the creation of the world and all its creatures. Yet on the other hand, the speaker feels confused and even perturbed. If such a creator is equally capable of allowing good and evil, then what does that mean for the relationship between the creator and his creations? The speaker’s questioning attitude represents the kind of curiosity necessary to explore the marvels of creation.

Previous section Setting Next section Motifs

Take a Study Break