Mental Illness In Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe uses mental illness in many of his productions. Since at the time when his stories were written, mental illness, more specifically schizophrenia and autism, was seen as taboo which lead to more offensive portrayals of physically and mentally disabled individuals.
In “The Raven”, Edgar Allan Poe uses mental illness to portray a “crazy” character that is suffering due to the loss of his beloved, and thus looks for companionship in a talking animal. As the story progresses, the main character shows more distain towards the raven and starts to regret his company. We know his annoyance towards the raven in stanza fourteen, line three – five; “Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent the Respite—respite …show more content…
In modern times, a individual living with schizophrenia will often talk to technological objects (such as a television or radio), however in the 1800’s people living with this mental illness would talk to inanimate objects or animals. A very well-known story used this kind of portrayal as well, in “Alice in Wonderland”, the deemed “crazy” characters spoke to inanimate objects (such as the Mad Hatter talking to his hats and cups of tea).
Another possible portrayal of mental illness in “The Raven” could be PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Often sufferers of PTSD lock themselves away from the public and away from possible trigger points. This character lost someone very important to him, we can see this in stanza five, line four; “And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”’ So even though his soulmate has passed away, he lives in a world where Lenore is still alive and protecting him from, as he sees it, a dangerous and unforgiving …show more content…
In “The Raven”, the narrator is trapped with a talking raven that seems to mock him and push him further and further into madness. While with “The Fall of The House of Usher”, the narrator is trapped in a house because he feels like it’s his duty to assist his friend.
The rooms and the atmosphere described in the stories resemble psychiatric hospitals. Like big empty spaces, secret tunnels and long corridors. Edgar Allan Poe wanted to create a imagery that everyone knows, however no one wants to know personally. He created a very dry area for the mind to add on features and details.
Another use of 1800’s mental health care in “The Fall of the House of Usher” views Madeline as the more insane sibling, as it was in that age where a woman acting out was seen as a mental deficiency. A lot of the elements in the story involve older views of what was considered as mental disorders. For example, the possible homosexual subtext might have added onto the craziness of the narrator and of Rodrick. However, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator openly discusses topics with a animal, which, back in the days of the circus, was actually part of the freak
In “The Raven”, Edgar Allan Poe uses mental illness to portray a “crazy” character that is suffering due to the loss of his beloved, and thus looks for companionship in a talking animal. As the story progresses, the main character shows more distain towards the raven and starts to regret his company. We know his annoyance towards the raven in stanza fourteen, line three – five; “Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent the Respite—respite …show more content…
In modern times, a individual living with schizophrenia will often talk to technological objects (such as a television or radio), however in the 1800’s people living with this mental illness would talk to inanimate objects or animals. A very well-known story used this kind of portrayal as well, in “Alice in Wonderland”, the deemed “crazy” characters spoke to inanimate objects (such as the Mad Hatter talking to his hats and cups of tea).
Another possible portrayal of mental illness in “The Raven” could be PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Often sufferers of PTSD lock themselves away from the public and away from possible trigger points. This character lost someone very important to him, we can see this in stanza five, line four; “And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”’ So even though his soulmate has passed away, he lives in a world where Lenore is still alive and protecting him from, as he sees it, a dangerous and unforgiving …show more content…
In “The Raven”, the narrator is trapped with a talking raven that seems to mock him and push him further and further into madness. While with “The Fall of The House of Usher”, the narrator is trapped in a house because he feels like it’s his duty to assist his friend.
The rooms and the atmosphere described in the stories resemble psychiatric hospitals. Like big empty spaces, secret tunnels and long corridors. Edgar Allan Poe wanted to create a imagery that everyone knows, however no one wants to know personally. He created a very dry area for the mind to add on features and details.
Another use of 1800’s mental health care in “The Fall of the House of Usher” views Madeline as the more insane sibling, as it was in that age where a woman acting out was seen as a mental deficiency. A lot of the elements in the story involve older views of what was considered as mental disorders. For example, the possible homosexual subtext might have added onto the craziness of the narrator and of Rodrick. However, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator openly discusses topics with a animal, which, back in the days of the circus, was actually part of the freak