A phenomenological analysis of William Wordsworth's Michael reveals thatMichael's attachment to his land goes beyond its life-sustaining qualities to act as his source of identity and existence. It is also on the basis of this love for his land that Michael proclaims his love to his son who appears to him as a gift from nature. This misplaced notion of his love for his son vis-a-vis his love for the land forms the basis for his internal conflict which leads him to sacrifice his son in order to save his land from forfeiture. According to the poem, Michael has an extraordinary attachment to his land and bases his existence on this it.