Symbols of Edgar Allan Poe

The Eye Considered to be the window of the soul A way to see into someone; to know what they are thinking

The Heart. The physical pump of the body that sustains life The center of all feeling and experience Poe places more emphasis on the heart (emotion/experience) than the head (reason/logic)

Unnamed Narrator Tells the story rather than Poe- It’s not meant to be Poe- it leaves the reader to interpret It’s usually first person, which makes the reader’s connection to the story more intimate Could be the “common man”—anyone! Some are sane and some are insane

Dreams and Dreaming A portal/door to the inner workings of the mind Question whether they are awake or dreaming Do they dream to remember, or dream to forget?

Duality of Man The idea that there are two sides to every person- depictions of how the human mind works heightens a reader’s connection to the story Often a rivalry between self, usually sane, and some alter ego, usually insane An internal conflict of good versus evil In Poe’s stories, evil usually wins—insanity overtakes sanity

Animals Often uses: a black ape, raven, cat, serpent, or vulture He hints that these animals have some magical or evil powers Some are intelligent and tricky They are also scavengers.

Supernatural Beauty & Love Idealizes love and puts it/the person on a pedestal The “beauty” is almost too perfect or divine for this world, speaker is obsessed Young, innocent, unattainable – and frequently dead! Personification of the memory of someone, even after death. Love has no boundaries… *** This mostly occurs in his poems

Puzzles and Hoaxes Uses puzzles in his detective stories Uses puzzles in his detective stories Often very logicalOften very logical Early readers thought the stories were real; they were actually fake hoaxes Early readers thought the stories were real; they were actually fake hoaxes

The kVortex Traveling downward use of catacombs Endless spiral out of control

Time Uses of significant hours: 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, and Midnight References to clocks Uses dusk and daybreak “The witching hour” meaning midnight

Premature Burial/Suffocation. Associated with the deaths of many of his real-life loved ones Death is painful and difficult The victims are often unprepared for this death (Even if they are aware it could happen, it still catches them by surprise)

The person is dressed like a clown to represent being a joker or a fool The Jester

The idea of being consumed… The dread of being consumed or mutilated Eyes and teeth- their ability to “take in” (or consume) objects