Poe

After researching Poe's life, the subjects and tones of his stories make much more sense. Edgar Allen Poe had a very sad life, he suffered the death of his mother and wife in a very short period of time. The circumstances of his life lent to his poems, for example, the Raven. There are several different meanings that can be found within this story. On one level, the Raven is simply about a bird who comes through the narrator's window and speaks to him. There are also deeper meaning and themes within the story. Poe addresses the idea of life, or lack there of, after death. The narrator asks the raven if he will see Lenore again, who is presumed dead. The raven says "nevermore", this challenges the reader to ask the question, what happens when you die? Earlier in the poem, when the narrator opens the door, he sees nothing but black, it is completely empty. I think this could symbolize Poe's idea of life after death. He puts forth the idea that there may not be anything but nothingness after we die. After dealing with so much death and loss in his life, it is understandable why death and mortality is a theme in the Raven, as well as other stories. I see this as a way for Poe to try and understand his own loss and come to terms with missing his deceased loved ones, like the narrator with Lenore.