Pride In 'Porphyria's Lover'

In “Porphyria’s Lover”, the center of the speaker’s focus is the beautiful, blooming girl called Porphyria. The speaker acknowledges the girl’s passion and contrasts her against the storm outdoors. I believe the emphasis on the raging weather is used repeatedly to create the feeling of stark opposites. Even though she is wet and cold, Porphyria is glowing with passion. She is a roaring fire inside the cozy cottage. Then pride and pain come into the picture and the emphasis is put on the moral responsibilities of the young couple. Porphyria seems to almost take pride in her sexual aggressiveness towards the speaker. But the speaker makes it very apparent that it is not appropriate or in their best interest. He uses the word vain many times