The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe Poem Analysis Essay

One of the most sought-after narrative poems of Edgar Allan Poe is “The Raven”. New York Evening Mirror was the poem’s original publisher in the year of 1845. The poem can be situated into Edgar Allan Poe’s prominent themes; such as grief, depression, and negativity, which employ Gothic ambiance. The reason for the usual dark themes of Edgar Allan Poe is his life marked by many tragedies. Throughout his time and the present days, “The Raven” has become an immensely popular poem. 175 years have passed; it is still considered a well-crafted classic poem. It consists of eighteen stanzas. Each stanza is divided into six lines. Since the poem is popular, a lot of analyses have been made to make the poem more comprehensible. One of these is the existence of the bird. In my study, this essay firmly believes that the bird is just a figment of the narrator’s imagination.

First, some readers assume that the bird is real because Edgar Allan Poe is a writer who enchants the reader of the supernatural. It may not be an existent being in the real world, but it is the reality of the characters at work. I negate this stand. Knowing that the narrator grieves over the loss of the woman he loves, Lenore, the bird is just a metaphor of what he’s currently feeling. This is indicative in the four lines of the first stanza in Poe’s poem:

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.

The narrator is half reading a book in a sleepy state while trying to forget his lost love. Remember, this scenario happened late at night. It is undeniably possible that because of the time and the “nearly napping” (Poe, line 3) situation of the narrator, he had fallen asleep. This means the rest of the poem takes place in his dreams. National Sleep Foundation stated that depression is a serious disorder that can affect the way a person thinks. The dreams reflected his emotional disposition in his waking life (Bulkeley). This makes sense because the narrator is alone as stated in the poem “Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before- “(Poe, line 52). His misery made the bird, raven. It establishes a coping mechanism of his inner turmoil.

Second, while some believe that the raven is existing because of its capability of imitating human speech, I doubt this. The capacity to speak may be one of its actual characteristics, but a raven that speaks with a very poetic single word is suspicious. The raven in the poem only repeats the word “Nevermore” (Poe, lines 48, 60, 72, 84, 90, 96, 102). This word means “never again”. It originated in Medieval England which was approximately in the 1200s. It is quite impossible that a bird coincidentally utters a word that manifests the narrator’s feelings. He constantly asks the raven questions even if he knows there’s only one answer. For instance, this line is his sixth question for the raven “Is there—is there balm in Gilead? —tell me—tell me, I implore!” (Poe, line 89) and it repeatedly stated, “Quoth the Raven “Nevermore” (Poe, line 90). The bird couldn’t possibly know the happenings of his tragic life. This is a clear example of a delusion. He is not haunted by the raven, but himself. His subconscious reflects the reality of his ceaseless unanswered queries. He is torturing himself with the cruel mantra he solely created.

Furthermore, he already knows the answers to his questions. He opened his door widely because of the tapping. He saw “Darkness there and nothing more” (Poe, line 24). However, the darkness seems to speak to him whispering “Lenore” (Poe, line 28-29). This is connected to the fact that the narrator is in the process of pain “From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore/ For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe, lines 10-11) and the thought that occupies his mind is losing Lenore. The bird is a non-reasoning creature. An effective illustration of torturing himself over his lover’s death. Post-bereavement hallucinations may be part of a disordered grieving process (Pies).

Third, ravens don’t smile. As stated in this line, “But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling” (Poe, line 67) the bird is animating human actions. Universally, birds have beaks. With their lack of facial muscles attaching their skulls, they fail to show common expressions like smiling (Hill). The narrator is certainly just imagining things. This is one of the symptoms of hallucinating: body sensations which you think are real. No one in his right mind would not be shocked seeing a smiling Raven.  This way of interpreting signs that do not bear a real meaning is one of the most profound impulses of human nature (Halqvist).

In conclusion, the raven in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem is not real. The setting, emotion, and impossible actions are the noteworthy reasons for this stand. What stood out the most, is the fact of losing somebody. The narrator depicts each one of us. Humans are inclined to experience pain but in different timelines. Looking back to the poem, we could sense the wound of the narrator’s tragic experience build his hallucination. Death of loved ones is no joke. Edgar Allan Poe artistically crafted a concrete form for an abstract thing, which is grief.