Suicide makes sense, but I think both Eli and his Love are on opposite ends of the social ladder. In a way, that would make his Love's burial place one of choice, perhaps on her family's land.
Eli, who perhaps had an unrequited love for this woman, worked peddling different wares to keep himself alive. When his love dies, he wishes he could have had money with which to buy a fine robe she could have been buried in. Since he could not do that, he would do the next best thing.
He saves up enough money to buy himself "finer" clothes and throws himself into the river to join her in the afterlife. His family has him buried in a church yard hoping to gain him entry into Heaven. Lo and behold he is denied entry and is left to wander the Earth, trapped in a moment in time where he may have been wishing he had enough money to make his love his wife and thus buy her a fine gown. Perhaps this was a dream of his while they were both still alive.
In my opinion, this story doesn't necessarily take place in older times, but perhaps this day and age where there is still much a broken social ladder with little to no hope of moving up. The barrow is/contains his burdens and weighs him down, never able to climb to be with his unrequited love.
That's just me however...don't know if I make any sense.
Suicide makes sense, but I think both Eli and his Love are on opposite ends of the social ladder. In a way, that would make his Love's burial place one of choice, perhaps on her family's land.
Eli, who perhaps had an unrequited love for this woman, worked peddling different wares to keep himself alive. When his love dies, he wishes he could have had money with which to buy a fine robe she could have been buried in. Since he could not do that, he would do the next best thing.
He saves up enough money to buy himself "finer" clothes and throws himself into the river to join her in the afterlife. His family has him buried in a church yard hoping to gain him entry into Heaven. Lo and behold he is denied entry and is left to wander the Earth, trapped in a moment in time where he may have been wishing he had enough money to make his love his wife and thus buy her a fine gown. Perhaps this was a dream of his while they were both still alive.
In my opinion, this story doesn't necessarily take place in older times, but perhaps this day and age where there is still much a broken social ladder with little to no hope of moving up. The barrow is/contains his burdens and weighs him down, never able to climb to be with his unrequited love.
That's just me however...don't know if I make any sense.