Gothic Elements In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

1021 Words3 Pages

Edgar Allan Poe is a writer known for mystery and macabre, his stories are dark and Gothic to many readers. In a story, it is all the way the reader interprets it, one reader may read the story a completely different way than the next. In the poem, "The Raven", many would think that Poe is representing gothic elements. He uses symbols and metaphors in his story to represent things in the story to his own life events. Poe 's life was very dark and Gothic, and the story is about a period in his life that was very depressing and disheartening for him.

The most obvious symbol that Poe uses in the story is the Raven that comes to tapping on his window. By using the Raven, Poe is symbolizing the writer’s grief and fear he is having after losing …show more content…

The writer of the story is in love with a lady whom has recently passed away. Edgar Allan Poe was going through a depressing time in his life where the love of his life was also dying. Poe’s wife, Virginia had a fatal disease and he knew he was going to lose her in the near future. This poem shows how Poe thought he was going to feel like after his wife passed away. The writer is all alone in his home, with no one, no family or friends coming to visit him because he had no one but his wife, Lenore and Poe knows that when his wife dies he 's also going to be alone and not have anyone there for him. The story takes place in December so it gives the reader the idea of holidays and spending time with family, and it shows the reader that the writer had no one in his life except his wife.

Poe is well known for gothic poems and stories, The Raven has many gothic elements to it. It has a lot of darkness, evil and sadness in it. It starts out with
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber

Open Document