With a total of 463 lines, The Idiot Boy is William Wordsworth’s longest poem in Lyrical Ballads. The poem tells the story of an incident involving the titular ‘Idiot Boy’ and his mother, Betty Foy. The boy named Johnny gets an important task to finish, however, he fails miserably owing to his idiocy.
Right after its publication, The Idiot Boy stirred a wide variety of critiques with some praising Wordsworth’s new style of work, while others found the text to be hollow. With this piece here, we have broken down the poem so you can decide whether The Idiot Boy deserves a thumbs up or a thumbs down. As usual, you can drop your thoughts in the comments below:
Who are the characters in The Idiot Boy?
The Idiot Boy, Johnny, is the son of a poor countrywoman, Betty Foy. Their neighbour, Susan Gale, needs help. She is old, gravely ill, and moaning in pain. Betty Foy can’t help worrying about her. Consequently, she sends her boy to bring a doctor from the nearest town on horseback.
What does Wordsworth think of Betty?
Wordsworth writes, “What means this bustle, Betty Foy? Why are you in this mighty fret? And why on horseback have you set, Him whom you love, your Idiot Boy?” The poet finds it hard to understand Betty’s action of putting Johnny’s life in danger. Betty acts strong even though she suffers strong fears and anxiety after Johnny leaves.
Of Betty’s fears, Wordsworth writes, “Cried Betty, rising from the bed, ‘Susan, I’d gladly stay with you. I must be gone, I must away, Consider, Johnny’s but half-wise; Susan, we must take care of him, If he is hurt in life or limb.’”
What happens after Johnny gets lost?
On his way to the doctor, Johnny gets lost. Betty starts having dreadful thoughts and sets out to find her boy. She runs to the doctor, and begs him for her son’s information – “Oh Doctor! Doctor! where’s my Johnny! I’m here, what is’t you want with me?” / “And I have lost my poor dear Boy, You know him—him you often see; He’s not so wise as some folks be. The devil take his wisdom!”
Betty is so fearful about her son’s fate that she even forgets to send the doctor to Susan.
Does Betty Foy find Johnny?
Having lost all her hope, Betty makes a wish to the pony that carried Johnny. She weeps and wishes, “Oh dear, dear Pony! my sweet joy! Oh carry back my Idiot Boy!” She knows if she can’t find her son, she’s going to drown herself in one of the ponds.
However, after a little while waking through the trees, she spots Johnny with his pony. She runs to ‘hold her Idiot Boy’ and shower him with kisses. She’s so happy to see her son that her limbs come ‘alive with joy.’ Overwhelmed with emotions, she tells Johnny, “Oh! Johnny, never mind the Doctor; You’ve done your best, and that is all.”
Betty pats the pony and the three turn towards home.
Is Susan healed?
Susan tosses and turns in her bed with all kinds of dreadful thoughts bugging her about Betty and her son. Her mind gets worse, but her body gets better. The intensity of her fears is so great that she magically rises from her bed, and sets out to find those who stayed by her side. She finds Betty with her son, and the four slowly walk towards home with their minds in relief.
What did Johnny do during the night?
Johnny with his horse had been roaming the cliffs and peaks in order to catch the stars and bring them home in his pocket. He had just been soaking in nature and trying to hunt down sheep. The Idiot Boy forgot about the doctor probably, instead, he’d been galloping with his horse on the vast fields. When Betty asks what he’s been doing, he answers, “The Cocks did crow to-whoo, to-whoo, And the Sun did shine so cold.”
What are your thoughts on The Idiot Boy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below: