Poe's most popular tales are filled with an atmosphere of the strange, the bizarre and the terrible. Many of Poe's stories are called "moral allegories" because the theme of moral responsibility prevails in them. While Poe is most often remembered for his short stories, his first love as a writer was poetry, which he began during his adolescence. "The Raven" is Poe's best-known poem and one of the most famous works in American literature.
"The Raven" is a narrative of a young man who has recently lost the woman he loved. The young man, saddened by his loss, constructs self-destructive meaning around the raven's repetition of the word "Nevermore."
The first seven stanzas establish the young man's melancholic state of mind. The young man is awakened by a sound outside his chamber. He opens the window to find no one and only darkness. When the noise continues he opens a window, admitting a raven.
In stanzas eight to eleven the young man playfully asks the bird his name. The young man is startled by the raven's response of "Nevermore." Apparently the word has little relevance.
In stanzas twelve to thirteen, the narrator settles on a cushion near the bird. Eventually the young man's mind moves to thoughts of Lenore. At this point the young man begins to pose questions that will cause him great pain.
The young man's ultimate question is if his soul will be reunited with Lenore in heaven. Distraught by the answer "nevermore" the narrator demands the bird to leave his chambers at once. The raven's answer causes the young man to move into a state of maddened despair.
Before this semester I had only heard of "The Raven." The only thing I knew about the poem was that the raven was a bird. One could say I was stunned to realize what the poem was truly about.
Having never read or studied Poe's works, I found "The Raven" sad but intriguing. The construction of the poem and the use of meter and rhyme adds to the overall enjoyment of the poem. Poe's use of the one word response "nevermore" emphasizes the young man's hopelessness depicted in the poem. The answer of "nevermore" is relevant or irrelevant depending on the question posed by the young man. Nevertheless, the young man continues to ask the questions despite the answers and falls into total despair.
While the poem is sad and melancholic it also inspires me to realize the depth of love the young man has for Lenore. To think that the young man allows the response of the raven to drive him into such despair reflects a beauty not shown in many relationships today. In a sense, "The Raven" exibits a love poem because it shows the intensity of the love the young man feels for Lenore.
"The Raven" has elements of the Gothic and Romantic periods. The darkness of the Gothic period is shown through the despair and anguish the young man experiences from the loss of Lenore. The Romantic period is displayed by the actual love the young man felt for Lenore. While some may find "The Raven" depressing and dark, I see and element of hope instead of hopelessness shown through the intensity of the young man's love for Lenore.
Mary Katherine Meadows