Edgar Allan Poe always had a knack for writing, especially poetry. As a child he was forced to work, but he secretly wrote in hopes he would be able to pursue writing as a full time job. Throughout his life, Poe experienced a series of unfortunate events which brought him pain, but also inspired his famous works in romanticism like “The Raven”. In the depressing poem, “The Raven”, Edgar Allen Poe uses symbols and allusions to develop a work of literature that describes the descent into madness a person can experience after the loss of a loved one. Poe uses symbolism to describe the sorrow and madness the speaker is feeling because of the death of his beloved Lenore. Lenore is not only a fixation, but she functions as a major symbol of obsession.