Self-Torture In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe experienced tragic events in his life that led to self-torture. The theme of “The Raven” is lingering depression and of confused feeling. In “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe portrays the human thirst for self-torture through memories, loneliness, and symbolism.
The reoccurring thought of his lost significant other is one way Edgar Allan Poe portrayed the thirst for self-torture. “Mournful and never ending Remembrance is permitted distinctly to be seen…”(Process) When Poe says ‘Never ending Remembrance’ this means Edgar has this never ending thought. “Quaff, oh quaff this kind of nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”(Poem) Quaff this nepenthe means to drink a potion to forget. As Edgar is in deep sorrow from the pain of loss, he decides to drink a potion to relieve himself of the stress. Each time Poe thinks about his lost wife, he tortures himself, and he wants to be able to stop but feels as if he can’t. …show more content…

In “The Raven,” Poe writes “Lenore? This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, Lenore!” (Poem) Poe perceives that the bird says his wife’s name as he is wanting someone to talk to him. “Unfortunately, Virginia dies 11 years after their marriage, and Poe, who was devastated by her death, died two years later.” (Biography) This quote states that Poe is “devastated” by her death, and throughout the entire story it seems that he’s trying keep hold of her memory. Poe is quite obviously lonely in this story as not only his actions, but also the fact that he is talking to himself shows it, but one can also tell it is unintentional because it is all inside his

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