His mind was freshly inclined toward sorrow; toward the fact that the world was full of sorrow; that everyone labored under some burden of sorrow; that all were suffering.
Lincoln was devastated by the death of his son and he was mired in a sorrow that was so deep it was almost beyond his comprehension. This passage describes the moment at which he realizes he has to try to move forward, and essentially pull himself together, because if he does not, he will not be able to govern effectively.
How many times when you were growing up did a parent or a teacher tell you to pull yourself together because there were plenty of other people worse off than you were? Well, this passage reflects Lincoln reminding himself of this. He realizes that there are many people suffering and many people whose lives need to improve, and he also knows that he is the man charged with doing this. If he cannot get to grips with his grief, he will never be able to fulfill the commitment he has made to others. This is a pivotal moment for him because he is starting to realize that his sorrow is getting the bette of him; to Lincoln, the entire world looks sorrowful and melancholy, and life is only about sadness and loss. He recognizes this feeling, and knows that he needs to change it.
He came out of nothingness, took form, was loved, was always bound to return to nothingness. Only I did not think it would be so soon. Or that he would precede us.
Lincoln in this passage is trying to rationalize the loss of his son. Rationally, he knows that Willie was going to die one day. He did not assume him to be any less mortal than any other man, but he had, in a way, taken for granted that for the rest of his life, he and Willie's mother would be able to enjoy their son; that Willie would bury them, not the other way around. He had, in a way, prepared himself for the grief that would come when those whom he had expected to pass away during his lifetime died, but he had never given thought to the loss of those whom he believed would outlive him. Lincoln believes there is something inherently wrong when a parent buries a child, and he had not considered the prospect of himself and Mary becoming these parents.
When a child is lost there is no end to the self-torment a parent may inflict. When we love, and the object of our love is small, weak and vulnerable, and has looked to us and us alone for protection; and when such protection, for whatever reason, has failed, what consolation (what justification, what defense) may there possibly be?
This is a revealing reflection by Lincoln because it shows that much of the depths of his grief is fueled by guilt. He feels guilty that he was unable to save his son, when he was the person to whom his son would naturally look to save him. He also seems to have felt very powerless, which would be an unfamiliar feeling for the most powerful person in the nation.
Despite the fact that Willie's passing was not his fault, and that he could not have done anything to save his life, Lincoln still clearly feels both guilt and remorse that he was unable to prevent his death. He seems to feel that he let his son down in some way. The feelings of guilt that he is experiencing are also contributing to the weight of his grief, because he is not only mourning the loss of his son, but mourning the breaking of the promise that he made him to protect him.
