The Raven' Theme Essay

Topics:	Edgar Allan Poe Literary CriticismThe Raven
Words:	656
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Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe begins his poem called “The Raven” with the narrator, who is nearly asleep when he hears a sudden knock on the door and chooses to ignore it. The poem revolves around the narrator, who is in a sad mood from his actions. He opens the door, gazes at the dark, and calls out Lenore in a whisper, his lover, but he passes away. “This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word “Lenore!” (Poe, 5.5). He walks to the window where he heard a tap and a raven approach and constantly reiterated the word nevermore to all his questions. He sits right in front of the bird and wonders if he will ever see or be with his longtime lover Lenore. This paper seeks to analyze the poem by highlighting components, such as the theme and symbols that build the poem.

Literary Analysis

The narrator begins by first creating a cold and chilling night mood and instills a sense of uncertainty and fright in the reader. The narrator is sure about the knock on the door, and it seems rational that there is indeed somebody on the door, “As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” (Poe, 1.4). He comes out and gazes at the darkness. The suspense of the story created by the narrator captures the reader’s attention and keeps them driven to read more to know what or who was behind the door.

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The author uses death’s theme to showcase what humans mostly go through when losing a loved one. The author brings to life the process of grief and despair brought about by death and loss. The author uses a dying fire, the protagonist who wishes that the night could pass and was deep into reading to shift his attention away from grief. The happenings show that the narrator has no control over natural occurrences, although it is not to his liking. The same situation affects most human beings who are in grief. The narrator is frightened by the blow of the curtains but still is eager to solve his mystery to confirm to himself that there is nobody else in the room. He keeps on reassuring himself of his sanity that it was just the winds that blew the curtains. That he is just suffering from grief and sorrow, “Tis the wind, and nothing more!” (Poe, 6.6). The poem begins with the narrator acknowledging that Lenore is dead and is trying to overcome grief by focusing on other activities such as reading. As the poem ends, the narrator begins to entertain and welcome the thought that maybe Lenore could as well still be alive and was the one who knocked on the door. The narrator tries to ask the raven about Lenore, “Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.” (Poe, 16.5). At this point, the narrator is wishing that the imaginations and dreams of Lenore being around could be real and that he could be reunited with his lover. He asks the raven to stop hurting his heart with its words and leave out of his door. “Leave my loneliness unbroken– quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out of my heart, and take thy form off my door!” (Poe, 17.4-5).

In conclusion, the poem is a blend of various themes that are universal and affect everyone in society. The concept of death and the afterlife is well captured and explored by the author. The happenings also explore the idea of the supernatural and subconscious in the poem. The author tries to explore the actual and imminent fact that death affects everyone and that death is taken away, even the closest people in our lives. The author touches on the possibility of seeing our beloveds who passed away in the afterlife. Reading the texts invokes the question of the endless possibilities of life and how ancient influences significantly impact our belief systems.

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