Edgar Allan Poe: A Life Defined by Death

Two hundred sixty four million people around the world suffer from depression. However, there aren’t two hundred sixty four million poets who have the same cultural impact Edgar Allan Poe did. This is because of the distinctive combination of trauma and talent that Poe possessed. Why would that be? Few have had depression and bipolar disorder. Fewer still have had to deal with loss, especially death, on his scale. This combination of conditions created the opportunity for the works we know today as such vivid portrayals of despair and darkness. Poe’s depictions of depression and death offer a glimpse at a life filled with trauma, hinting at his own struggles with depression and bipolar disorder.

The various traumatic events in Poe’s life, especially the deaths of his loved ones, contributed to his mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder. Over the course of Poe’s life, half a dozen people close to him died of tuberculosis. At the age of about three, his mother died of the disease. Poe has even admitted “the death, then, of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world” (www.pbs.org). Undoubtedly, these deaths led to the undeniable appearance of a depressive disorder. Poe’s first bout of depression corresponded directly with the death of his foster mother, Frances Allan. Because his foster father was abusive, Poe undoubtedly found little emotional support with him. At this point in his life, his behavioral issues grew inflamed. As his adolescence turned into adulthood, his condition only declined. His foster father refused to give him money. His depression gradually worsened as he had no emotional support, was almost completely impoverished, and almost completely abandoned. Poe eventually came into contact with his aunt, Maria Clemm, and his first cousin, Virginia. Poe developed a strong connection with his cousin and came to completely rely on her for his emotional support. At one point, Poe was working in Boston and his aunt informed him they were considering moving. Poe’s crazed reply included “my last, my last my only hold on life is cruelly torn away – I have no desire to live and will not” (www.eapoe.org). This exemplifies the hold his cousin had on him, and how directly his depression is related to her. When they eventually get married, he seems to be at the happiest he ever was. Unfortunately, Virginia also eventually contracted tuberculosis. Poe ended up writing one of his most famous works as his greatest joy slowly died in the same house – “The Raven”. In this poem, the narrator cries for “respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore”, his lost lover. Clearly, Poe was anticipating the pain and loss Virginia’s death certainly had on him.

As the years passed, Poe also seemed to develop bipolar disorder – a disorder characterized by periods of depressive episodes and manic episodes. For some background, bipolar disorder symptoms also include ‘intrusive thoughts’; defined as random thoughts and urges that are usually harmful and/or unpredictable in nature. In his essay “Philosophy of Composition” Poe admits that one of the most profound items in literature is the curious tendency of humanity to enjoy in “human thirst for self – torture” (Poe). This theory can be directly connected to “The Raven” because the narrator continues to plead with the raven, knowing the answer will always be ‘nevermore’. This tendency towards self – torture and Poe’s astonishingly clear understanding of it implies Poe has experience with intrusive thoughts, which points to bipolar disorder. Although it’s already been proved Poe had some form of depression, which resulted in depressive episodes, not much research has gone into his manic episodes. An example of one of these manic episodes would be Poe’s bizarre meeting with President Tyler. According to Paul Clemens, a Poe scholar, the first time Poe showed up “quite intoxicated. His cloak was inside out … he was disheveled”. Fortunately for Poe, he was intercepted by the President’s son who suggested he come back another day. A few days later, Poe showed up sober and his meeting with the president began quite well – until, at the end, he attempted to “solicit magazine subscriptions from him” (Clemens). Although the second meeting’s ending seems innocent, almost awkward, this random action could be a manifestation of Poe’s intrusive thoughts. The first failed meeting, of course, is an obvious example of his mental illness gone wrong. This self – destructive behavior, tied into intrusive thoughts, is also a characteristic of bipolar disorder.

Poe’s writings attempted to portray his inner feelings of depression and loss. The aforementioned theme of ‘self – torture’ is indeed present in Poe’s famous work, “The Raven” much as it was in his life. He wrote “The Raven”, where the narrator pleads with the raven for answers about his lost love Lenore, while his own wife was dying of tuberculosis. Poe was writing his own feelings of pain into the poem as a form of release. Many who experience depression engage in some form of self – harm. While this usually manifests itself physically, in Poe’s case, he may have been torturing himself mentally, again repeating the theme of self – torture mentioned in “Philosophy of Composition”. Another short story written by Poe was “The Masque of the Red Death”, about revelers who were attempting to escape an epidemic. At the end of the story, they are infiltrated by the Red Death itself and die anyway. This is a not – so – subtle representation of the deep feelings of loss and resentment towards tuberculosis, which claimed many in Poe’s life, including his birth mother, foster mother, first love, and his wife. The fear of the disease personified in “The Masque of the Red Death” left the revelers with “a certain nameless awe” and “maddened with shame and rage … at [their] own momentary cowardice” (Poe). Poe had an innate fear of death itself and a fear of the idea that death is complete annihilation – perhaps because so many people were taken from him. The cowardice mentioned in the “Masque of the Red Death” may have been Poe’s own guilt at not doing anything to ‘combat’ the disease, even if there was nothing he could have done. This feeling of powerlessness seems to be another recurring theme throughout his works. “The Raven” includes this theme when the narrator’s “soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted – nevermore” (Poe). The inability for the narrator to move on, or think of anything except his lost lover, is the characterization of the feeling of hopelessness and depression that Poe experiences, especially regarding his inability to combat death. This could also be exacerbated by the fact that tuberculosis specifically claimed so many of those close to him; it is possible it left him with a special anger reserved specifically for the disease. These works are portrayals of the regret and anger Poe feels towards a concept so far out of his control that it preys on him and possibly even traps him in his own mind.

Poe’s unique combination of trauma and talent, combined with his mental illness, led to descriptive works of depression and death. Unfortunately, many people close to him died at a young age and his foster father was abusive, so during his adolescence and early adulthood especially, he struggled with depression. Later in life, he may have also developed bipolar disorder. Eventually, he wrote poems and short stories that personified his worst fears and deepest feelings. Again, although there are hundreds of millions of people around the world with depression, there’s only one that produced such impactful and relevant work. Perhaps this is because he is one of the only ones brave enough to bare his soul to the world.

Bibliography/Links:

“Depression.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 30 Jan. 2020, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.

“The Deaths of the Women in Poe's Life.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 21 Apr. 2020, www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/deaths-women-poes-life/9559.

“Text: Edgar Allan Poe to Mrs. Maria Clemm and Miss Virginia Clemm - August 29, 1835 (LTR-048).” Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Letters - E. A. Poe to Mrs. M. Clemm and Miss V. Clemm (August 29, 1835), 2009, www.eapoe.org/works/letters/p3508290.htm.

“Text: Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Philosophy of Composition’ [Text-02], Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXVIII, No. 4, April 1846, 28:163-167.” Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Tales - The Philosophy of Composition [Text-02], 2011, www.eapoe.org/works/essays/philcomp.htm.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2020, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven.

Weta. “Poe's Washington Excursion.” Boundary Stones: WETA's Washington DC History Blog, 30 Oct. 2017, boundarystones.weta.org/2017/10/30/poes-washington-excursion.

“The Masque of the Red Death.” The Masque of the Red Death - Poe's Works | Edgar Allan Poe Museum, 2013, www.poemuseum.org/the-masque-of-the-red-death.