Who Is The Narrator In The Raven

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“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem filled with melodrama and sensationalism, therefore, it falls under the category of Gothic Literature. In “The Raven” the narrator is half reading, half falling asleep, and trying to forget about his lost love Lenore. He is suddenly shaken by a tapping sound on his door. The narrator opens the door and to his surprise finds nothing. He then opens the window and in flies a Raven. The narrator starts to talk and has a unique conversation with the Raven. The conversation is unique because the Raven replies with the same answer every time, which is, “Nevermore”(line 48). The questions in the conversation start out as general questions but progress into more personal and painful questions. Because the questions …show more content…

He is showing the Raven how much his loss for Lenore is affecting him and how much sorrow he feels because he believes that he could possibly be talking to Lenore. The love the narrator has for Lenore is powerful. “For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore”(line 11). The narrator thinks very highly of Lenore and he will do anything to talk to her again or to feel her again. Therefore when the Raven comes, the narrator thinks the Raven is somehow sent from Lenore or could possibly be Lenore. I believe that the Raven was sent from Lenore to help give closure to the narrator and to send a message. The message sent is that he will never know where Lenore is now but she is okay. The Raven would give him closure by having the narrator think he was talking to Lenore one last time, then it would help him move on from her and feel peace by the sound of her name instead of a deep sadness. Lenore had a huge impact on the narrator’s life. All he does now that she is gone is grieve for her loss. He tries to read to forget about her but she always finds a way to sneak back into his brain. For example, the narrator is reading to try and forget about Lenore but then the Raven comes and Lenore is back on his mind. The raven represents Lenore and the fact that the narrator can never escape