As the Raven is introduced in Poe’s poem, he serves as a very calm, eerie sort of character. The protagonist, no doubt, questions if the bird is a bizarre omen, or a “bird of the devil” (Poe 85). The bird’s composition holds true to that of the conventional description of the devil—cunning, as the Raven keeps repeating the word ‘Nevermore’ and manipulative in that the protagonist becomes increasingly drawn to the Raven by asking “What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore/ Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore’”(71-72). With no answer the protagonist becomes more anxious and shouts frantically at the mysterious bird.
The protagonist begins to falter under the aloofness of the Raven, who simply croaks a single word, driving the protagonist mad. The style of how calm the Raven is in relation to the frantic-nature of the protagonist further emphasizes how the Raven is superior to the man. The man shrieks, “bird or fiend…/Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore/ leave no black plume/ leave my loneliness” (100-101). The fear in the protagonist as he shouts and the foreshadowing when he speaks of the ‘black plume’ emphasize the death to come.
The Raven is most characteristically like the Devil in these moments; the Devil’s capabilities to inflict death and retell the stories of death are depicted just as in the Bible. The Raven, or rather the Devil, harnesses the protagonist’s soul in his dark shadow, bringing the protagonist to demise akin to the demise of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The protagonist began this night pondering “a curious volume of forgotten lore” or simple things, as Adam and Eve lived in quiet serenity (2). The Devil then came to sweep this “weak and weary” man into his hold (1-2). As Eve was beguiled by the Devil’s allure, so was this man by the Raven.
Claire, this is awesome! I loved the connection to Adam and Eve, and I agree completely with everything you're saying. In the Composition Piece we received over the summer, Poe even mentions that in choosing the raven, he kept in mind its melancholy background and the idea that it is the "bird of ill omen" (6). This being said, the raven is further established as a symbol of death, in society and within Poe's poem. This also relates to what Rebecca said today in class, about the melancholy tone of the poem. Perhaps the raven represents an overarching idea of the poem, and Poe uses his tone and vocabulary to reflect this theme?
ReplyDeleteAs for Adam and Eve, I was wondering about the idea of temptation, and how it is the snake who tempts Eve into eating the fruit off of the tree, therefore causing her unfortunate fate. In my response, I discussed how the raven may be the part of Poe who craves release from isolation. This idea or any other idea in mind, could the raven be a further representation of this temptation?
And I agree completely with the overarching theme that Poe is trying to convey...as it discusses in the final lines of "The Philosphy of Composition" Poe wrote that "the intention of making him [the Raven] emblamatic of Mournful and Never-ending Rememberence (stress on the mournful as you wrote about above) is permitted distinctly to be seen" (10).
ReplyDeleteThe Raven could in fact be a further representation of temptation. I saw it as the Raven being temptation closer to evil or temptation to move farther away from the light of the protagonist thinking that he was not close to death. I feel that the protagonist's fate could have been saved if he were not beguiled by the Raven, but in the end he slips into the darkness of his shadow. Now, what else could this temptation be? I am not sure??
It's so cool that both you and Emma analyzed the character of the raven. And to make it even more interesting for me, your opinion is completely different from hers.
ReplyDeleteComparing the raven to the devil is definitely justifiable. The raven is a black and ominous bird that enters the protagonist's room at midnight. Furthermore, the result of the protagonist being overwhelmed in fear and fury would point to the workings of a devil-like figure.
However, I would say that the raven never exhibits the intent to "bring the protagonist to demise". All it does is monotonically repeat the phrase "nevermore", like an inanimate object.
I would definitely agree that Poe chose the raven because it has a demonic and more melancholic symbolism. The entrance of a raven and the words Poe chooses to describe the raven absolutely signal bad things to come.
But I have trouble agreeing that Poe made the raven demonic, with the purpose of inflicting death on the protagonist.
Maybe you can explain and convince me otherwise? I may have misunderstood you.
I think you may have misunderstood me in a sense and understood me in another. I do believe that the Raven is an omen of evil or as I discussed so profusely, the Devil. I do not, on the other hand, agree that Poe made the Raven for the purpose of inflicting death--he made the Raven for the purpose of bringing the protagonist closer to the death of his wife. In choosing to listen to the Raven, the protagonist inflicted his own death because he went into the dark shadow of the Raven. He chose to take the "leap of faith" if you will, that his soul may meet his deceased maiden and in his terrible grief, the hope that he could be with her again that instant was worth enough to possibly damn his soul to lay on that floor forever.
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Does that help or clarify anything that I may have caused confusion?
After today's class discussion, where we explored the idea that Poe employed death in different and contradicting ideas, I understand your idea a lot better. The raven brought the speaker closer to death, and thus close to his lover.
ReplyDeleteYes, the class discussion helped me clarify my own thoughts. I am glad that we had the opportunity to talk about the Raven in class.
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