The Autobiographical Elements in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe

He was often punished when his brothers weren 't, even if they were doing the same thing. He was able to be adventurous but instead was stuck with guilt. Throughout his years he also faced the emotional toll of abuse in many ways. One way his mother did this was by no longer calling him by his name, and not referring to him as a human. Dave states in his book, “that death would be better than my prospects for any kind of happiness. I was nothing but an “it”.” Children and adolescents go through a stage where they are trying to figure out who they are. With an abusive mother who takes away your identity it would be really hard to figure out who you are and you would be confused on what roles to play. Erikson’s stages emphasize family and culture. Erikson noted that psychological conflicts, especially in childhood within families, affect people lifelong.

expected John to pay of his debts. John would not pay of the debts and made

Usually, fairy tales are in connection to big and illustrious happy endings. But in Edgar Allan Poe’s case, it is evident that they do not exist, for his stories more often than not bear a grotesque demeanor. His life was surrounded by death. All of the women in his life died young, including his mother, sister, and wife. By the age of three, he had experienced what most would not experience until nearly the middle or end of their lives. Living in such an atmosphere allowed Poe to reach deep into his emotions when writing. Edgar Allan Poe was known for his macabre metaphors. These metaphors challenged the reader to endeavor themselves into his simple words; coming to find the gothic elements portrayed. He most commonly portrayed love and death in his poems. Poe is even credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe utilizes symbolism and portrays an envious love tale, ending in tragedy to expose the speaker’s emotional state in the poem “Annabel Lee.”

Because the father was so involved with himself, he did not make the time or put the effort to develop a proper relationship with his son.

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the great writers of this world. He created several poems and short stories of a dark and dreary setting. His imagination was incredible. Edgar Allen Poe did not have a normal life. Bad luck and heart ach seemed to follow him until his death. His writing style was very different than other writers' style. His most famous

had to raise his two brothers because their father wasn’t able to care for them after he became an alcoholic because of the passing of his wife.

Edgar Allen Poe was a very troubled man throughout his life, but all these events affected his writing deeply and uniquely. Poe lost the people near and dear to his heart which of course made him very depressed. Poe was battling alcoholism during the middle years of his life, a hard battle for him to fight in his situation of poverty.

developing a mind and will of his own. He is no longer unperceptively loyal to his father.

betrayal, and violence. His father abandoned him seeking to find a life less confrontational to a

feeling of being isolated where he lived in a world where everyone was like him.

Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of the greatest American writers of all time. His writing is dark and sinister. He wrote of death, murder, psychosis, and obsession. One could only imagine what would bring a person to write such morbid stories. Perhaps, it may be attributed to Poe’s childhood, a past that was sad and far from average. Both of his parents died when he was only three years of age (Shelley). The death of his parents caused a separation from his siblings and he moved to live with his relatives (Shelley). In later years, Poe endured poverty and the loss of his wife-to-be to another man (Clark). Possibly, without those troubling experiences, Poe couldn’t have imagined such eerie and enthralling tales. Some of his most

he is estranged from himself. To help expand on this theme it is useful to look

This essay will discuss the themes in Poe’s writing that mirror his personal life and, in addition, the fear and supernatural motivators for his characters. First, I will discuss Poe’s background and explore how he became best known as a poet for his tales of mystery and macabre.

“The Raven”, being Poe’s most eminent poem, features a narrator preoccupied by thoughts of his deceased wife Lenore. Prior to Poe writing this, Virginia became ill and Lenore is furthermore utilized as her indirect symbol. Obviously, there is a formative pattern within Poe’s short stories seeing that Virginia is one recurring feature. When reading Poe’s work, no assumption is necessary, as he makes his love for Virginia exceptionally clear much like the narrator’s love for Lenore.  At the end of the poem, the narrator states, “And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust just

After the death of his beloved wife, Edgar Allan Poe found himself writing so others could understand his pain and sorrow. In the story, Poe refers the want to be with loved ones be telling the readers the raven is the character’s dead wife.