Crossing the Bar

In "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, crossing the bar could symbolize so many different things. One thing that I think that Crossing the Bar means is crossing from this life onto the next. At the end of the poem where it talks about seeing the pilot's face after they cross the bar, the reader can infer that the pilot is dead. "I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar" (Tennyson, 15-16). The reader can also infer that maybe the pilot symbolizes someone in the characters life who led them before they passed away. Just as the pilot of an airplane controls our path, the pilot could symbolizes a role model or leader who lead the character in his or her life before the "pilot" passed on. Seeing the pilot face to face could also symbolize other things. Seeing the pilot face to face could also symbolize the character finally being treated as equal to the pilot. The reader could infer that the character always felt inferior to those around him/her and once they pass away, they will finally be treated as not inferior, but equal. "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson has a a variety of meanings and symbols throughout the poem.