The Theme of Unending Grief in The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe in the poem The Raven (1845) suggests that grief and pain are strong emotions that are hard to control. Poe supports his suggestion by demonstrating the narrator’s inability to let go of his grief. The author’s purpose it to show just how much sadness can affect someone so that the reader can better understand grief. The author writes in a grim tone for the reader. Edgar Allen Poe uses literary elements in this story along with a theme of holding on to grief to inform the reader of the might of anguish.

The Raven’s theme as it relates to grief is that grief is hard to let go . Lines 10 and 11 read “From my books surcrease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore-For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore…”’. Lines 53, 54 and 58 read “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”, “Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”, “...Leave my lonliness unbroken!”. This helps to illustrate the narrator’s troubles letting his grief for Lenore go because he mentions his sadness, grief and how he wishes it could all go away many times throughout the story. Furthermore, the narrator also suggests to the Raven that he could drink a drug to make him forget all of his grief and lonliness only for the Raven to reply “Nevermore,” implying that even the strongest drugs could not alleviate his sorrow. This is important because it goes back to the theme of being unable to easily control the emotions of misery and grief.

Poe uses some literary elements in the poem that help to contribute to the reader’s understanding of the theme. These literary elements are repitition and symbols. For example, lines 31, 32, and 33 read “Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore: not the least obeisance made he...”. In lines 65 and 66 the narrator says, “Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” and the Raven replies “Nevermore.” The Raven is being used here as a symbol of the narrator’s grief in that both the Raven and his sorrow show up unexpectedly and both refuse to leave him. In line 47 the narrator describes the Raven as “grim, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous...” This repetitive use of these alliterative and mysterious and words helps to create a dark tone surrounding the Raven, further confirmation of the Raven’s dark symbolism.

The author wants the reader to understand the theme of unending grief. The way he does this is by using rhetorical devices such as alliteration, symbolism, and repetition to build a dark atmosphere and submerge the reader in the narrator’s feelings of grief for his lost lover.

Works Cited

• Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven.