Edgar Allen Poe: Master of Mystery and Suspense in Literature - Essay Sample

Introduction

Edgar Allen Poe is a famous American writer who is highly known for his contribution in the field of literature. Among Poe’s famous writing includes the Tell-Tale Heart, the Raven, and The Oval Portrait. The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story whose setting revolves around a murder case. Poe illustrates a carefully planned murder, which illustrates the characters' ability to perfect a crime. In the story, a man with a vulture eye is killed by another due to his physical state (Poe 31). In this case, Poe tries to illustrate the different relationships between the young and the old man on the need for life. Despite the focus, the narrator does not illustrate any feelings toward the old man. The poem, the Raven, demonstrate of a lonely man who is tortured by a raven. When a raven knocks the door, the man is highly frightened, but he is curious to understand what is happening. The man is desperate to understand if the raven had been sent by God, but the bird rejects to communicate. The story, the Oval Portrait, illustrates the life of an abandoned character who sleeps outside (Poe 19). The narrator appears to be severally injured, and this highly affects his ability to spend the night outside. Due to the condition, characters are forces to seek refuge in a small house. The house has some variable materials, which take away the narrator’s mind. The essay critically analysis the three Poe’s stories/poems by reviews the horrific life, night, psychological torture, and sharp senses.

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Horrific Life

The three stories and poems are based on horrifying narration. The shocking incidents that the narrators encounter appear to be the driving themes in the stories. In the Tell-Tale Heart, Poe demonstrates the story of a man who is about to be killed due to his vulture eye. Due to the condition, the old man is highly distressed as his life is about to be cut short (Poe 32). The old man is given tough rules as they believe the eye is associated with some evil. The Raven illustrates the story of a man who is highly disturbed by the death of his love, Lenore. Throughout the night, the man is highly distressed as he does not understand whether he will meet Lenore in heaven. As such, when the bird appears, the man thinks that is an angel sent by God. However, the bird refuses to communicate, and the approach makes the man be more distressed (Walker 41). On the other hand, the Oval Portrait demonstrates a terrified life of a narrator, who is suffering from injuries, and this hinders his ability to spend outside (Poe 81). In the room, the narrator is highly disturbed by the conditions, and this forces him to look for further information. The concept illustrates the horrific conditions that the characters experience and the condition unaware.

Night

Poe bases the three stories/poem at night, which assist in demonstrating various challenges characters experience. In the story, The Tell-Tale Heart, the young man carefully observe the old man at night, and this marks the plot of the murder. As such, the author says, “In me didst thou exist—and, in my death, see by this image, which is thine own, how utterly thou hast murdered thyself” (Poe 283). The quote illustrates the final dream images that occurred at night before the murder. In The Raven, the bird appears at night as the narrator is struggling to sleep. Poe illustrates, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,…” (Poe 21). At this period, the narrator appears to be weak and overwhelmed by the death of his love. The story, The Oval Portrait, takes place at night when the narrator appears to be injured, and he struggles to stay outside. The author says, “…rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in the open air, was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned…” (Poe 66). The quote clearly illustrates how the night plays a vital role in the setting of the novel.

Distress

Additionally, characters are highly distressed by the environment and emotional conditionals, and each tries to fight for a better life. Through the approach, the author tries to illustrate the connection between love and hate. In the Tell-Tale Heart love and hate is a major theme that helps to demonstrate the psychological complexity among characters (Poe 90). As such, the young and old boy appears to have an opposite emotional perception, and this demonstrates the concept as universal emotions, which is influenced by time and space (Volynets et al. 31). In the Raven, Poe illustrates that the love for Lenore makes the narrator appear distressed. As such, the narrator struggles to fight the memories of his love, but instead, they keep distracting his life, thus affecting his sleeping ability (Walker 81). As such, the narrator tries to imagine whether one day he will meet his love as he feels so lonely, and this increases the psychological problems. In the Oval Portrait, the narrator is highly attracted by the paints, which emotionally affect his perception. As such, he continuously admires the woman in the paint.

Sharp Senses

Furthermore, the characters in the stories/ poems appear to have sharp senses. In the Tell-Tale Heart, the old man can sense his assassination, and this affects his ability to stay comfortably. As such, the narrator illustrates that he can hear the dead man's heart beating (Poe 71). The approach illustrates how the narrator is guilty of his action after critical reasoning. In the Raven, the man has a sharp sense of hearing. Therefore, he immediately hears about the knock, and even though he is fear, he wants to know what is happening (Walker 39). In the Oval Portrait, the narrator is keen on identifying some critical features in the wall of the house. As such, it becomes easier for the narrator to identify some critical aspects of the drawing.

Conclusion

The three stories/ poems clearly illustrate a different scenario that shows a horrific life, night, psychological torture, and sharp senses among characters. The settings of the novel appear to be based on nights and horrific life full of stress. The shocking incidents that the narrators encounter appear to be the driving themes in the stories. The complex life among characters helps to demonstrate different themes such as love and hate. The themes form the background structure for the development of the plot of the stories and poems. The logical writing assists the author to effectively bring different aspects in the stories.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Raven. Lulu. com, 2016.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition. University of Illinois Press, 1976.

Volynets, Sofia, et al. "Bodily Maps of Emotions are Culturally Universal." Emotion (2019). https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6fd7/583d09b3c413819047fb8c5f9461143084c3.pdf Accessed on 11th June 2020.

Walker, Ian, ed. Edgar Allen Poe. Routledge, 2013.