Midnight In The Raven Analysis
Symbolism in The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe primarily occurs in the image of the raven itself, the room, the month of December, the time of night, the statue and perhaps less obviously, the cushion, the window and the door. From the very beginning of the poem, the mood and tone, which is set to prepare us for the symbols is sombre and gloomy. The phrase 'once upon a' prepares us for the fact that we are about to hear a story, but fast on the heels of the phrase we learn that this is not going to be one of those happy fairy stories.
The next words are 'midnight,' and 'dreary' and 'December.' Therefore we see that the raven is not the first symbol to be introduced. Midnight, down throughout the ages, has always been referred to as a darkly magic …show more content…
In his tired pre-sleep mood, the narrator convinces himself that this sound is 'Nevermore' and uses this fact to make his sorrow at the loss of Lenore's life and beauty deeper. The questions become more and more intense, signifying the symbolic deepening of his fear, bereavement issues, and loneliness. The 'bust of Pallas' is a statue which represents only the head and shoulders of a venerated subject, in this case Pallas, Greek goddess of wisdom. In alighting upon its head, the raven appears to add credence to his prophecy. A wise source adds weight to the mere squawks of a …show more content…
Referred to in Gothic-style language as a 'chamber' it appears for all the world like a funeral parlour of Victorian times. Particularly in England, where the only plush furnishings a poor person might see might be either the doctor's, boss's or undertaker's parlour, these rooms were decorated in the traditional bereavement colours symbolic of death violet, black, mauve, purple and grey. With due pomp and ceremony, there would have also been evident the fashions of the time coal-black funeral drays or horses, ebony-black coffin hearses and wagons with glass-sided windows, attendants liveried in black plumes of feathers from near-extinct birds, violet silks and satins lined coffins and deathly slow funeral marchers wearing high sooty-black top
The next words are 'midnight,' and 'dreary' and 'December.' Therefore we see that the raven is not the first symbol to be introduced. Midnight, down throughout the ages, has always been referred to as a darkly magic …show more content…
In his tired pre-sleep mood, the narrator convinces himself that this sound is 'Nevermore' and uses this fact to make his sorrow at the loss of Lenore's life and beauty deeper. The questions become more and more intense, signifying the symbolic deepening of his fear, bereavement issues, and loneliness. The 'bust of Pallas' is a statue which represents only the head and shoulders of a venerated subject, in this case Pallas, Greek goddess of wisdom. In alighting upon its head, the raven appears to add credence to his prophecy. A wise source adds weight to the mere squawks of a …show more content…
Referred to in Gothic-style language as a 'chamber' it appears for all the world like a funeral parlour of Victorian times. Particularly in England, where the only plush furnishings a poor person might see might be either the doctor's, boss's or undertaker's parlour, these rooms were decorated in the traditional bereavement colours symbolic of death violet, black, mauve, purple and grey. With due pomp and ceremony, there would have also been evident the fashions of the time coal-black funeral drays or horses, ebony-black coffin hearses and wagons with glass-sided windows, attendants liveried in black plumes of feathers from near-extinct birds, violet silks and satins lined coffins and deathly slow funeral marchers wearing high sooty-black top