Wordsworth's decision to write Dorothy out of Resolution and Independence is a result of the particular message and approach of the poem. In Tintern Abbey the turn to Dorothy serves a particular purpose, namely to employ Dorothy as an icon of the poet's own past experiences and read into her profile the demeanor of his earlier days. Resolution and Independence has more to do with the future and the process of disenchantment, and addresses the concerns of an aging poet who is losing faith in the righteousness of his calling. As such Wordsworth's image of Dorothy makes her a poor candidate for reference in the poem. Optionally, he might have elected to put an old man who embodied his potential future self, but Wordsworth has instead elected to again include what we may style a "common man," in an attempt to understand his own position by juxtaposing it with that of the perceived norm.

The distinction between Dorothy's function in Tintern Abbey and the old man's function in Resolution and Independence is best illustrated by lines 116 to 126, which most clearly reiterate the central crisis of the poem. For Wordsworth, the old man's unenviable situation evokes all his own doubts and fears, an experience which is exacerbated by the old man's humble acceptance and even pride in his role. He represents the guilt that Wordsworth feels at being a "leech" on society (a coincidental symbol?), because he is a typical example of how Wordsworth's time might be spent making the world a better place instead of writing poetry. Finally, the poem concludes with Wordsworth taking his chastisement from the old man who is described as "a decrepit man" who nevertheless has "so firm a mind." Thus the old man is necessary to the poem's message, leaving little room for Dorothy and her innocence.

Richard Heaton