Edgar Allan Poe Isolation

539 Words2 Pages

In “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe examines his early life through the lens of an outsider, connecting the emotional instability of his childhood years to his present desolation. He struggles with his insecurities and succumbs to darker thoughts- the very culprit of his isolation. Poe confesses how his lurking demons have led to his alienation because of his innate emotional inability to view the world like others. Therefore, the outside world has never bothered to understand his somber self simply because he differed from others. Poe displays his main theme by hinting at how he stood out due to his distinct perceptions. He conveys his woe “from childhood’s hour I have not been/as others were, I have not seen /as others saw, I could not bring” …show more content…

Poe illustrates how “the cloud that took the form/(when the rest of Heaven was blue)/of a demon in my view”(20-22). He focuses on his theme by crafting imagery to use heaven and the sky as symbols of how others perceive the world while he, seeing the same thing, stresses on the demon present. He exaggerates the persistence of his demon by clarifying its presence in “the torrent, or the fountain/ the mountain/ the sun” and even in “the lightning” (13-15,17). While Poe acknowledges the beauty of the scenery, his fixation on the demon overtakes his ability to perceive light. Poe’s habitual nature to be drawn into darkness rather than to observe beauty mirrors the lonely emotional experience of his childhood. Poe’s use of imagery and metaphors, while alluding to the basic elements of nature, exemplify the extent of the hold his demons--his sinister thoughts--have on him. The demon has become the root of darkness in Poe and his insights about the world- the sole miscreant behind Poe’s isolation and his relentless misery. Poe’s quarrel with his darker self- this demon- further worsens the vicious cycle when Poe’s demon feeds off his aberrant interpretation of the world. As a result, Poe continues to only see darkness rather than the light - abetting the existent void he already feels since he is the only one capable of seeing his lurking

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