Edgar Poe is famous for his Gothic style of poetry. One of his most popular poems is ‘The Raven’. It is impossible to read this poem without wondering whether the narrator is insane or not. Insanity is exhibited as the narrator of the poem imagines a raven entering his room in December at midnight. The narrator proceeds to lose his mind as he converses with the bird only to get the reply, “Nevermore”. This lapse of mental control may be a result of the despair he may have for the loss of his love, Lenore, the sight of the raven, and the landscape that the poem is set in.
In addition, we can suppose that the narrator was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and probably imagined the raven. The appearance of a talking bird is evidence that the narrator of the poem is hallucinating and having a mental lapse. The following lines “Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore –/ Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!” may be considered as something supernatural as the raven’s talking is beyond what is possible in the natural world.
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The repetitive mention of his love, Lenore, reflects the narrator’s disconnect with the world. Moreover, with the loss of Lenore, the speaker becomes extremely lonely. The feeling of solitude in a small room at night may have been attributed to actions that lead to his insanity. The narrator’s loneliness is evident in the following quote: “Other friends have flown before –/ On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before”. Apart from it, the raven’s constant reply that sounds like “Nevermore” fails to give the speaker any hope and relief that he will ever see Lenore again, and only worsen the narrator’s emotional state. The setting of the poem also may have an impact on the psychological breakdown of the speaker. The poem takes place at midnight in December. It is also noted that the poem begins at midnight in December, the last moment of a spent day in the final month of the year. Internally and externally, it is a time of death and decay.
In conclusion, I would like to sum up that speaker of the poem is driven into insanity. The insanity is caused by the constant thoughts and romanization of the death of Lenore. The narrator’s insanity also can be caused by the creepy environment in which the poem takes place, it’s late at night, in December, and there’s an incessant tapping at the door. The presence of a supernatural creature, the talking raven, creates a reason for the speaker to lose his mind.
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Theme of Insanity in Edgar Allan Poe’s Poem ‘The Raven’.
(2023, November 15). Edubirdie. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/theme-of-insanity-in-edgar-allan-poes-poem-the-raven-critical-essay/
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2023 Nov 15 [cited 2024 Nov 21].
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