Analysis of The Meaning of Edgar Allan Poe's Poem The Raven

On January 29th, in the year 1845, famous american poet and author Edgar Allan Poe wrote what may be his magnum opus, The Raven. This poem is synonymous with american literature, and has had a deep impact on pop culture. From The Simpsons adapting it in their Treehouse of Horrors subseries, to becoming a main plot focus in The Raven, a lackluster movie described as one reviewer as “Se7en and Saw meets Misery”, it has left its mark in modern pop culture. But one question is always left in the open by the end of the poem. That being “What the hell was with that bird?”. Though many people would believe that this might have just been the insane ramblings of a drunk and drugged out Poe, I’d like to believe that there is a deeper meaning behind the poem.

The Raven is a dark, gothic poem describing the terrifying night of the nameless narrator as he encounters a raven fly into his room. As the speaker is in the process of mourning the loss of his loved one, Lenore, he asks the raven a question as a joke. Though he is surprised to hear the bird respond with the simple phrase, “Nevermore.” Surprised by the birds reponse and deep within grieving for the loss of his love, he asks the bird many questions in regards to its presence. Instead of getting any clear answers, the bird simply response “Nevermore”. Eventually, the speaker gives up and tries to go back to sleep, but the raven stays in the narrator's room, hiding in the shadows, on the arc of the doorway.

This can represent many ideas in regards to the topics of religion and grieving. There are many references to Christian, Roman, Norce, and Greek mythology within the poem. With references towards Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld, using the phrase “Night's Plutonian Shore' with the shore representing the underworld. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, is referenced as what the raven perches itself on as it speaks to the narrator. This is seen as ironic because the speaker sees the raven as this sense of wisdom that may help him find some relief from his grief. Meanwhile the main sense that there maybe an afterlife were the narrator can finally reunite with his love can be seen as a direct relation towards the Christian belief in Heaven and Hell.

Because the poem ends in such an abrupt way with no clear ending, this can be left for various interpretations, one of the more prominent beliefs is that the narrator is responsible in some way for the death of Lenore. It would make sense as the raven is very much seen as a symbol of death, and the griefing that the narrator is going through can be because he is the cause, or in some way responsible for the death of his love. There is plenty of context clues that can lead to this.

Within the poem, it stated that there is a constant, uneasy feeling of a darker presence in the room. A direct quote from the poem stating “the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer.” As a darker presence maybe follows the bird around. But what seems to be more likely, is the belief that the Raven itself is the physical embodiment of death. Though much less than the typical skeleton in a robe, its seen as a bird that knows plenty, but reveals little. The raven refusing to give the speaker answer, even when he asks if he will ever see his love again in the afterlife, with the only response being “Nevermore.” With the raven hiding in the shadows of the speakers room, this can represent the grief never really leaving the speaker, cause the death of his loved one will always be on his hands, and rather than take him now, death leaves him to a much worse fate, living with the guilt.

In a way, the Raven’s behavior in the poem strikes a similarity with the fourth ghost in Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol, which came out two years before the poem. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shares the same characteristics as the raven. They both represent death, but more as a silent guider, interacting with the main character as more of a silent overseer. However, in the ghost is informing Scrooge about what may come, while the Raven is the looming guilt of what the narrator may have done already.

This seems to be the story that is being told in the poem, but it might be deeper than thought. Maybe The Raven real life inspiration hidden within the words, which if it was the true intent, make it all the more tragic. In the poem, one important detail that may be overlooked is that the speaker doesn’t have a name, he is just named the speaker or the narrator. This may be Poe just being minimalist due to the darker themes within the poem, but what if this was intended? The narrator is Edgar Allen Poe.

Throughout his whole life, Poe has dealt with many hardships, from his parents dying when he was only three, to being adopted and sent to school,but kicked out from gambling debts, joining the army but being forced to leave due to financial difficulties, to many deaths and hardships that followed him through life, he was very much a tortured soul. Throughout his later years, he struggled with heavy alcoholism, drug use, poverty, and depression, which may have lead to his death in 1849, four year after The Raven was published. This is something that has constantly been a part of his life in one way or another, which may have lead to his inspiration to write as much dark material as he has.

With this being the case of his life, this could make sense as to why he would be the narrator within the story. He has been tormented with all this terrible stuff that has happened to him and people he was close to. He could be feeling survivors guilt because of the death and sickness that has followed him, but has never really reached him directly. While his wife died from tuberculosis two years after the poem was written, Lenore might representative of someone who was still close to him, but had died and he was grieving from it.

Meanwhile the raven is the embodiment of death that seems to follow Poe. While Poe in the story begs the raven, or death, for answers, trying to find solace with a belief that there is something for everyone after they die, there is no answer to be given. Death only can say “Nevermore” as to mean that there is no real answer because no one knows what really happens when you die. This is something that torments Poe, the lack of any certain of an afterlife where everything is better.

Since Poe struggled with depression and many unfortunate events in his life, he may see death as the only thing to look forward to, as the only true way to escape from his misery. Hence why he is humorous when the bird comes to visit, he seems almost welcoming of the entity until it answers with the haunting phrase. Thus as he asks and his is given nothing, he becomes determined that there is no true relief from this darkness. So if the Raven represents death following Poe throughout life, why does it take him once and for all?

From his struggles with depression and unhealthy habits, such as drinking, gambling, and doing drugs, he might have been trying to end it all this time. However, because he hasn’t died yet from these self destructive behavior, he feels like he might never die. Hence why the death doesn’t take him by the end of the story. Instead, it stays in his room, hiding in the shadows, waiting and watching. This demonstrates how in his mind, death will never really take him, but it will always be a part of him. It will always be a reminder that it is there, and that it will take everyone and everything that he loves. It taunts him that in his mind, he will never die, and that he will never find a way to make it through this. He has seen some much death and destruction in his life, and he will see much more before it’s his turn. So all he can do is live with until it’s his time to go.