He does not seem to have any strong reason He simply kills the bird without thinking He does not value the bird s life His careless action is a sin against God s creation because the Albatross was a bird of good omen and an innocent creature of God The Mariner s crewmates are furious at first They call him evil But when the weather stays calm they change their minds and support his crime saying the bird caused bad luck This makes them guilty too Hence the crewmates are punished Significance The killing of the Albatross is the heart of the story Killing the albatross is a sin a crime against God and nature s balance The bird symbolizes innocence and the beauty of creation and the Mariner destroys it for no reason Hence he suffers immensely from this sin The crewmates hang the dead albatross around his neck like a heavy punishment The mariner narrates Instead of the cross the Albatross About my neck was hung The Mariner s suffering begins to end when he learns to love all living things The lesson is clear harming innocent life brings disaster The Mariner s thoughtless act ruins everyone s lives