Essay Questions

How does the farmer's fallacy lead him to depression and in dire need of spiritual cleansing?

After employing the hireling to work for him, the farmer is happy because he gets a good harvest. Things take a drastic turn when the farmer encounters the hireling standing naked, and he concludes that he is a witch. Without thinking twice, the farmer pulls his gun and shoots the hireling to death. The farmer takes the body to the river, where he dumps it. Later, the farmer realizes that he did the wrong thing because he could prove that the hireling was a witch. Therefore, the farmer's fallacy drove him to kill an innocent soul, and now he runs to the church to ask for forgiveness and cleansing.

Is the poem The Lammas Hireling a myth?

The farmer, who is the main character in the poem, believes in folklore and traditions. The poem is set to reflect the Irish Lammas Harvest traditions. When the farmer comes across the hireling naked, he immediately thinks that he is a witch and kills him. Interestingly, the farmer believes that all his cows are diseased since the hireling touched them. According to the farmer, the hireling is a bad omen in his life.

Is it ironic that the farmer is going to the church for cleansing after killing the hireling?

The farmer is depicted as a person who believes in myths but not religious conventions. The farmer believes in superstition, and that is why he kills the hireling. Ironically, the farmer realizes that he can only be saved and cleansed by God. Therefore, the farmer goes to the church and begs the priest to pray for him. The reader finds it satirical that an individual who believes in myths can spend his days in church waiting for cleansing.