Poe's Short Stories The Point Of View example essay topic

Edgar Allen Poe: A Brilliant Writer Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most brilliant writers of the nineteenth century. His short stories and poems consist of horror, mortality, romantic struggle, and psychological concept. Poe's tales labeled him as a master in his study of instability of self-control, the restrain of emotion, and access of feeling (Abby 348). His literary works were based on his personal background; therefore, many have similar characteristics. Poe was a manic depressant, and frequently wrote while under the influence of morphine and alcohol. Poe gives an example of his influenced writing in the story Ligeia.

The story portrays Ligeia and her husband as opium addicts (Bonaparte, 236). Perhaps his abnormal behavior could explain why he used such great detail in form of writing. In most of Poe's short stories the point of view is first person and often the narrator is nameless. Each narrator is unique, some are sane, others are unclear, and several approach a fine line that separates sanity from insanity (Rose).

For example, the narration in The Black Cat is spoken through confusion and influenced by alcohol, yet The Fall House of Usher is told through the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic. Both stories are by nameless narrators. His focused on death in many of his short stories and poems. Poe's theory of death and dying are more detailed than anything else. From the start to finish of his career he was casual to stop any action, which could be remaining over the grave, the shadowing of the moon, and the emblems of mortality and massacre (Davidson, 114). Often Poe wrote on how one's death can effect someone's emotions and mental stability.

His perception on romance were bizarre and sometimes confusion. Some critics believe he expressed romance through his favorite theme, the death of a beautiful woman (Grafx). For example, The Raven portrayed a man mourning over his lost wife, Lenore. Other critics believe his thoughts on romance are based on the women that were involved in his lifetime. For instances, To Helen 1831, could define the relationship between Poe and his foster mother (Davidson, 32). The eye is a horrific symbol in some of Poe's stories.

Poe's focus of the cat's eye in The Black Cat was to show the insanity of the husband. Maybe Poe uses the focus of the eye because the eye is considered to be a window to our soul (Rose). Most of his stories have a continual motive of obsessive-compulsive behavior. For instance, the narrator in the Tell Tale Heart was obsessed with ' the beating of the hideous heart!' Or in the Black Cat the character was obsessed with the killing the cat.

In both of those stories the narrators was not afraid of the police, yet their presence made the characters lose their insanity. That is a characteristic of someone that is compulsive, and will act without thinking of the consequences. Poe's characters often recall visions that they see in dreams. Edward Davidson acknowledges", Poe sets forth the dream not as a refuge from the world's chiding, but as the region of understanding and "truth" of which this known world is a mere shadow" (Davidson 11). Poe rarely expresses dreams as the peaceful slumber we desire. The characters may awake from a dream or a nightmare and question if they are awake or dreaming (Rose).

For example, the young man in The Pit and the Pendulum was able to visualize and dream of a private psychic world that helped him maintain his stability during his death sentence (Davidson, 134). Poe's unique writing style is what makes him such a well-known literary author. His personal life is what made his writings so interesting and gruesomely detailed. He never hesitates to use psychoanalysis to describe his point of view. His passionate writing is what marks Edgar Allen Poe as a brilliant 19th century author. Words Cited Bonaparte, Marie.

Life and Works of Edgar Allen Poe. New York: Humanities Press, 1971 Davidson, Edward. Poe a Critical Study. Massachusetts: The Belknap Press, 1970 Grafx, Gibson.

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