Introduction
Human suffering is inevitable and may have a long-lasting impact on someone’s life. People grieve the loss of someone they loved much or situations they have little or no control over. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” utilizes symbols to reinforce the melodramatic mood. The conversation between the speaker of the poem and a raven shows the importance of accepting situations. The verbal interaction between the speaker and Raven proves that his grief is real and he must accept the situation, resulting in him becoming more miserable.
Misery Depicted in “The Raven”
Although grief can be detrimental to any person, it is worse among weak individuals. In the first stanza, Edgar Allan Poe introduces the poem’s speaker by describing his character. The speaker states, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and dreary” (Poe, 2019). The opening narration by the speaker shows his state of confusion and sorrow, having nothing to do but think about his situation (Dewan, 2021). In the first stanza, the poet proves that the poem is theatrical, and it is sad. However, the use of the word “gently” depicts some message of a waning hope for the sorrowful speaker. The whole start of “The Raven” proves the situation to be depressing, hopeless, and gloomy.
The appearance of the raven changes the situation in the narrator’s room. Additionally, the conversation between the two makes the speaker more curious, becoming more confused. However, before the speaker shifts his attention to the knock at the door, he thinks about, Lenore, a “rare and radiant maiden” he has lost (Poe, 2019). The shifting of the attention from the knock at the door portrays the speaker as becoming more sorrowful. The door symbolizes the narrator’s weaknesses and insecurities. The situation worsens when the speaker becomes anxious and fearful of the rustling curtains. However, he convinces himself that it is just some visitor who is knocking at the door.
Confused, the speaker tries to figure out who or what the raven could be. After coming up with theories to explain the raven and its behaviors, he asks it its name, and it answers “Nevermore”. Sorrow can be disturbing to a person’s emotional and psychological states (Pacaol, 2021). The narrator becomes hallucinated to the extent of calling himself a wretch. His grief overpowers him, but he claims that he will forget Lenore. The situation gets petty as he starts shouting at the bird and calling it a prophet, a “thing of evil.” The speaker’s sorrow makes him reject and despise his home by calling it a desert and a place haunted by horrors. The bird’s response to the speaker’s questions makes him hate his physical environment.
As the speaker continues to converse with a raven, he develops self-doubt since nothing positive comes out of the bird’s utterances. Intense grief can lead to pessimistic thoughts and beliefs among the victims (Ede et al., 2021). The speaker calls the raven a prophet because it is foreseeing his unhappy life. Additionally, he termed it as a thing of evil since it is causing him pain and pain. The raven further crushes his feelings by telling him that he will never get hold of Lenore. The speaker ends his narration in a quiet and still character, showing that the raven is still there, and it will never leave. The quiet ending depicts the speaker’s acceptance that his sorrow will never end, and he can only accept the situation.
Conclusion
“The Raven” is a classical example of how poems can be used to narrate human suffering. The voice of the poem is a boy who has lost his beloved person, Lenora. While pondering on what to do, a raven appears at his door. The bird’s message makes the speaker more sorrowful and confused. Therefore, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” teaches people to accept their terrible situations to protect themselves from the emotional and psychological torture that comes with it.
References
Dewan, M. S. (2021). Language of Dramatic Monologue in Poe’s “The Raven.” Journal of NELTA, 26(1-2), 28–39. Web.
Ede, M. O., Adene, F. M., Okeke, C. I., Mezieobi, D. I., Isiwu, E. N., & Abdullahi, Y. (2021). The effect of rational emotive behaviour therapy on post-traumatic depression in flood victims. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. Web.
Pacaol, N. F. (2021). Acceptance, endurance, and meaninglessness: A qualitative Case study on the mourning tasks of parental death from childhood experience to adolescence. OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying. Web.
Poe, E. A. (2019). The Raven. Poetry Foundation. Web.