Materialism in William Wordsworth’s Poem "The World is Too Much with Us"

In a rapidly developing and consumerist world, humanity has fallen deep into the rabbit hole of materialism. The root of man’s estrangement from nature stems from the ongoing issue of the wasteful trappings of society. Believe it or not it seems that the inevitable forces of materialism was also present—if not created—in the early nineteenth century as per William Wordsworth’s poem, “The World Is Too Much With Us.” The premise and relevance of this poem has long outlasted the poet’s life. Sharing his frustration through metaphorical imagery, William Wordsworth touches on a universal theme that remains relevant in this day and age: humanity’s lost connection with nature due to lifeless material belongings.

The speaker begins with a vague remark, that bears down upon our consciences and leaves room for interpretation, as he says “the world is too much with us; late and soon” (1). Why does he think the world is too much with us? If we were to look at the timeline of which this poem was published, it is evident that Wordsworth may have been expressing his discontent following the Industrial Revolution. The change and destruction of our ecological system and natural resources can be attributed to man’s desire for the most robust life of “getting and spending;” the endless cycle of unruly greediness. Because of this, Wordsworth is adamant that we are undeserving of nature and its beauty “late and soon;” in other words, humankind has taken it for granted in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Consequently, the speaker is persistent in displaying his frustration regarding man’s developing negligence towards nature; with an angry tone melded with disappointment he says “Little we see in Nature that is ours; / We have given our hearts away, sordid boon!” (3-4).

Wordsworth reveals a spiritual viewpoint as he declares that we no longer seek fulfilment from nature to feed our souls; instead, “we lay waste our powers” (2) and “[give] our hearts away” (4) to consumerism and material possessions. The word “heart” in this context is interchangeable with the term “soul.” Furthermore, the speaker arouses the visual and audible senses of the reader when he says “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; / The winds that will be howling at all hours, / And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; / For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not” (5-8). As Wordsworth points out our tendency to overlook a storm, he brings forth the idea that man is dormant (“like sleeping flowers”) and unappreciative of the beauty of our natural world. Thus far, the speaker has attempted to persuade his reader into the same school of thought of man becoming a catalyst within our world. He has done so by illustrating his heartbreak towards humanity not only through vivid imagery but also through a continuous repetition of rhyme. For example, the first line of the first quatrain ends with the word “soon,” and the last line of that same quatrain ends with “boon.” This is consistent throughout each quatrain in the sonnet. The poem’s rhythm evokes emotion and captures the reader’s attention while simultaneously enticing him or her to create visual imagery.

Wordsworth takes his reader on a journey of self-contemplation and ambivalence. Subsequent to introducing a problem that provokes contemplation, the poem takes a turn when the speaker announces he would rather be a Pagan than be a man who has lost his communion with nature. For example, Wordsworth exclaims “Great God!” (8) as a forewarning for his progressive frustration and then proceeds to suggest a rather extreme solution for his woes when he says: “I’d rather be / A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; / So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, / Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn” (9-12). Although paganism is an “outworn” practice, their respect for nature would give Wordsworth the ability to see the world with a fresh and untainted pair of eyes, gifting him with the vision he seeks of natural piety. Had his vision not been clouded by the materialism embedded in industrialism he may “have [seen] Proteus rising from the sea; / or [heard] Triton blow his [horn]” (13-14). Additionally, the use of outdated beliefs such as paganism and sea gods, may be an indication of Wordsworth’s desire to slip out of the “forlorn” (12) reality he speaks of with angst and indignation.

As a result of his anger and dissatisfaction towards humanity’s alienation from nature, Wordsworth wishes for an unattainable sight of the natural world as his escape from conformity. The uniform theme for this poem is based on the “sordid” truth that stems from materialism; in other words, the absence of man’s appreciation for our easily obtainable and ubiquitous natural beauties in exchange for “getting and spending” (2). Being aware of man playing a pivotal role in creating this disconnect from nature, Wordsworth does not recuse himself from this offense but rather, he chastises the world in his poem with the use of first-person plural, thus including himself in his rebuke. William Wordsworth’s “The world is too much with us” (a sonnet written in iambic pentameter) brings to light humanity’s self-destructing and soul-starving ways ensued from the detachment from nature and devotion to meaningless materialism.