Low and rustic life

Wordsworth discusses here the function of rustic, simple, humble characters. He sees them as a means through which ?the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language; because in that condition of life our elementary feelings co-exist in a state of greater simplicity.? Without the constraints and expectations of higher society, Wordsworth sees this class of individuals as conduits of their own unaffected will and passion.

In ?The Idiot Boy,? a footnote recalls Wordsworth?s comment that he has ?looked upon the conduct of fathers and mothers of the lower classes of society towards idiots as the greatest triumph of the human heart. It is there that we see strength, disinterestedness, and grandeur of love.? It is clear that Wordsworth has a true respect for these ?lower? individuals for their poetic and philosophical value. It seems that the function of the idiot boy himself, son of one of the aforementioned mothers of the lower classes of society and subject to the conduct of her impassioned heart, is of a poet, ?endued with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness?than are supposed to be common among mankind?pleased with his own passions and volitions.? The idiot boy, set out on a trip of self discovery, embodies this description completely. His expression of emotions after he has been discovered, fits Wordsworth?s definition of poetry; ?the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.?

If Wordsworth?s purpose is to present the usual in an unusual way, it is fulfilled with Johnny. He is representative of the unique viewpoint needed to perceive the world with innovation, and though what he says may not seem logical in the reader?s realm of thinking, he is doing expressing what Wordsworth seeks to exhibit in his poetry: ?the manner in which our feelings and ideas are associated in a state of excitement.? This poem gives a raw example of the beauty of thought and self discovery.