Analysis of Human Experiences in 'The Raven' and 'Past The Shallows'

Human experiences can be affected by the unresolved past and its intrusion on the present. Our past experiences can affect our present ones, both negatively and positively, causing one to encounter emotions such as happiness, love, and even despair. Ultimately, it is our negative memories from our unresolved past that impact our futures greatly. This is evident in Favell Parrett’s novel, “Past the Shallows” and the poem, “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. Both texts uncover how the experience of loss leads characters to experience depression, aggression, and addiction. It is evident that through the novel and poem, past experiences impact an individual’s present, affecting their ability to understand themselves and the world they live in.

Human experiences have the undeniable power to impact on one's future. This concept is made evident in the novel, “Past the Shallows”, as the composer reveals in depth how recollecting memories affect the character’s present life. Throughout the plot, the experience of loss is expressed in the Curren family. The father is mentally scarred due to the tragic loss of his wife and this experience transforms him into an alcoholic and abusive person. This individual experience further becomes a collective one when his children become affected by his actions. His eldest son, Joe, is forced to leave his home, leaving his two younger brothers to not only fend for themselves but also live in an environment of constant fear. It is shown that numerous times the boys are physically abused by their father, “…Miles’s eyelid was all purple and cut—the bruise on the side of his face coming up bad…”. Parrett's use of imagery in this text is to allow the reader to visualise a representation of how his abusive nature affects his sons. It is evident that throughout the novel “Past the Shallows” past human experiences can affect someone’s present.

The novel “Past the Shallows” has a reputation of representing how past human experiences can modify their future. Throughout the novel, Miles the middle child acts more like a father figure than a brother to his younger sibling Harry. This is because of how the father’s irresponsible attitude to his children forces his eldest son Joe to move out and make Miles step up to take care of his younger brother. “…he looked so young and small like no time had ever passed by since he was the baby in the room and Joe had told Miles to be nice to him and help Mum out. And Miles had thought he wouldn’t like it. But Harry had a way about him. A way that made you promise to take care of him.” This quote identifies how Miles must take care of his little brother Harry through the memory of his brother Joe informing him to help out and somewhat promise to take care of his little brother no matter what. This memory from the past is the main reason on how Miles acted out in the present time. It is evident that through the Novel “Past the Shallows” the composer uses memories to affect someone’s present.

The notion that Human experiences have an indisputable power to influence someone’s future is also present throughout the poem “The Raven”. Throughout this poem, the writer Edgar Allan Poe explores this concept when the main character is constantly disrupted by the memory of his late wife Lenore’s tragic death. “respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!” The composer uses the technique of emotive language to dive into the character's repetitive feeling of grief going through his mind. Another way on how the composer shows how past human experiences and memories can affect someone’s present is through the quote “Other friends have flown before — / On the morrow, he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before”. This quote shows how the widow fears that the raven would abandon him as his hope and wife abandoned him. Lenore’s death left him in despair, grieving about his future without her. It is shown that throughout the poem “The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe uses many techniques on how past human experiences and memories affect someone’s present.

Past Human encounters have a clear power to affect one's future. This is shown throughout both the novel “Past the Shallows” and the poem “The Raven. Throughout both of these texts, the composers show how the experience of death has a strong impact on both the lives of the father and the narrator. Throughout the novel, Favel Parrett shows how the experience to lose someone close is strong enough to affect the actions and choices that someone acts to live their life. Throughout the plot, it’s a balance on how the father and children overcome the death of their mother and uncle and how they move past it. This results negatively with the father becoming an alcoholic and an abusive person which leads to the family splitting apart. The Raven also follows the same concept with the narrator becoming a widow with the tragic loss of his wife Lenore. Because of this, it results in him losing hope and becoming depressed and lost in everything that he does. He loses his sanity and becomes tormented by a raven that mocks him, thinking it’s something from the underworld sent to deliver him pain. It is clear that through Past the Shallows and The Raven, both composers show that past experiences have an undeniable power to affect someone’s present.

In conclusion, Human experiences can be affected by the unresolved past and its intrusion on the present. Both composers of the novel “Past the Shallows” and “The Raven” show this through various writing techniques throughout the texts.