The Conqueror Worm By Edgar Allan Poe Analysis

This theory of Green led him to the assumption that Poe had an unconscious in wish to return to the state of infancy that is only available in the past. The return to infancy would mean the reunion with the long missed woman and also resembles a kind of escapism; an escape from the harsh reality and the constant struggle. (Green, 15.) Not only the actual images of these women refer to the personal losses of Poe, but the appearance of the symbol of the curtain in the third stanza can be brought into connection with his mother as well.
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating “’Tis some visitor

(Green, 6.) Green gives a possible explanation to the constant use of this symbol by referring to his childhood experiences. As Poe’s parents were actors, Poe was familiar with the setting of a theatre and he was also fascinated by the movements of the curtains. At this point he associated that place and the part of the setting with his parents, especially with his mother. (Green, 10.) In ‘The Raven’ as we can see the motion of the curtains frightens him, which the student in the poem associates with the presence of a stranger. At the same time I would suggest that the stir of the drapes brings back the horror of his mother’s death. Not only this image has a hidden meaning, but so does the room itself, in which the action takes

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.
Freedman claims that the meaning of the last line is the everlasting repetition of the name ‘Lenore’, as the student cannot resist naming her due to his self-punishment. (Freedman, 27.) This interchangeability of named and nameless, evermore and nevermore can be seen as an intention to create unity by destroying the boundaries. (Freedman, 28.) According to Freedman, further on the poem, due to the multiple use of the refrain we can identify two different meanings; the first one can be interpreted as a direct reply for the self-torturing questions of the student. The other usage appears when the student implores the raven. In this case “Nevermore” becomes a response to the request to be told rather than to the question itself. (Freedman, 27.) According to Caputi, Poe used the refrain as a device to create emotional excitement with which I agree, because by the constant changing of the meaning, the sorrow of the student can be expressed more