The Raven
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
An excerpt from The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe
In the poem titled The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, a man is visited by a raven late at night. At first, when the man heard rapping and tapping on his door, he was excited by the thought of a visitor. Who could it be? Could it be the woman whom he is thinking of, Lenore? He opened his door with thrills and terrors, but there was only darkness and nothing more. He whispered into the darkness, "Lenore?" but nothing. Returning to his bedchamber, he heard the tapping on the door. His heart fluttered, and his soul burned as he opened the shutter. There stood a raven perched on the placid bust. As he muttered a few words out loud, the raven spoke one word, "Nevermore," finishing his thoughts. The man suddenly became provoked. He couldn't bear the thoughts of this raven, sent by Heaven or Hell, reading his soul. He yelled at the raven to leave his loneliness unbroken and to go away. But the raven remained sitting on the pallid bust. Alas, the man gave in, defeated by his grief and madness, declaring that his soul shall be lifted "nevermore."
The common raven is a bird covered in all-black feathers. They often symbolize ancient wisdom, intelligence, and transformation. Ravens are spectral messengers, and in mythology and folklore, they inhibit a realm where symbols intertwine with human imagination. The raven in the poem symbolizes mournful, never-ending remembrance. The man's conversation with the raven is driven by the loss of his woman, Lenore. Here, the raven is associated with death and darkness. The man is mad with grief and hopes to find solace in the raven. An interesting interpretation of The Raven is that it represents the savage truth of reaching intimacy. Here, please allow me to explain further.
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about the grief of losing a loved one and the struggle to overcome it. The man's grief overcame his ability to live in the present and engage with society. On the surface, I couldn't help but identify the similarity between the man in the poem and the yearning of a heart in love. Have you ever texted that special person and waited for that person to text you back? The content of the text may not matter; however, you yearn for a meaningful conversation with that special someone to learn more and be closer to them. In the poem, the man was first excited and fearful to have a visitor at night. His yearning for Lenore drove him into madness. He was excited at the possibility of Lenore. He felt all kinds of emotions and was not disappointed when the visitor turned out to be a raven, a sign. This emotional roller coaster reminds me of when a person is in love. That person would connect to that special someone with everything they encountered: a person, a conversation, an object, or any signs. This type of yearning makes them blind, and they ignore all the red flags and live in a delusional state. They would find comfort in all things that feed into their delusions. The man believed in the raven, just as we believed in our delusions. And once the bubble pops, just like the man, we are defeated.
In the poem, the raven speaks the one word, "Nevermore," finishing the man's thoughts. He was perplexed at first but later became provoked. Because the raven seemed to know his soul and yearning, the man went into despair. The man's grief showed the ugly truths of true intimacy. Some of us are lucky to find that one friend, lover, or soulmate who thoroughly understands and knows our soul. A few of us seek that intimacy, making it a mission to complete that life's milestone. When we finally connect with someone, and they can see our soul, some of us pull away because our true yearning and wishes make us feel exposed and vulnerable. Sometimes, it is better to keep our fantasies and delusions to ourselves. We cannot take it back when we finally share it by intention or accidentally let it slip out. The man in the poem was irritated that the raven could read his soul, just like some of us feel when intimate with another person. Ultimately, we may want to be left alone in our loneliness, and the desire for intimacy is a purposeless mission that we seek to validate our normalcy. Not giving into despair or madness, we all want the thrill and excitement, not the vulnerability from within.
The Raven is a timeless masterpiece that beautifully describes the process of madness and the oddity of human emotions. Sometimes, we are angry at ourselves for feeling a certain way: pathetic, despairing, shameful, and angry. The raven, a sign, or any dose of reality may not be what we want but need. Let's reflect upon the man's madness to prevent being in the same situation. Grief and yearning are destructive. However, in darkness, one must be the light that shines out of it. It would be an intriguing experience to meet my raven, and I hope you do, too. Thank you.
