'Reincarnation In Edgar Allen Poe's Morella'

Edgar Allen Poe’s short story of the gothic horror genre, “Morella” depicts a narrator realizing the psychological decline of his wife. He soon grows to despise her, in which she later ironically dies. The daughter of the narrator is later named “Morella”, causing supernatural phenomena to occur, as well as his daughter also dying. Through these occurrences it appears that the original Morella is attempting to communicate with the narrator once again after death. This ultimately creates the macabre effect for the readers. Within the story of “Morella”, Poe achieves a unified effect by employing the devices of reincarnation along with repetition among characters to emphasize the effect and emotion felt behind her death while also unifying two

Many supernatural events take place after Morella’s death. Because of this, many effects are also employed which signify a buildup of tension as readers near closer to the climax. The most significant device that Poe illustrates is the idea of reincarnation. At the point in which the narrator’s daughter is to be named at the baptismal ceremony, the narrator hesitates but the abruptly names her Morella. Almost immediately, Morella turns to the sky and exclaims “I am here!” This, ultimately denoting the device being used of reincarnation. Through the portrayal of this supernatural event, the effects of communication and emotional emphasis are highly illustrated. This literal depiction of communication through the expression of another character creates a verbal effect rather than specifically symbolism alone. Ultimately this highly denotes the macabre effect when referring to communication from one whom is already dead, and then killing the person who portrayed this communication. “what friend spoke from the recesses of my soul, when, amid those dim aisles, and in the silence of the night…Morella?...She turned her glassy eyes from the earth to heaven, and…responded “I am here!”” (473-74) This denotes the most established effect of macabre. By using the representation of Morella speaking through her daughter, Morella supposedly believes that the narrator is calling her when he impulsively names their daughter Morella. This would be referred to the device of reincarnation, as Morella presumably possesses her daughter’s body in the effort to communicate with the narrator one last time. She then ironically ends both of their communications forever while killing her daughter in the process. It later states “Morella. But she died; and with my own hands I bore her to her tomb; and I laughed with a long bitter laugh as I found no traces of the first,