How Does Edgar Allan Poe Use Metaphors In The Raven

How would an individual remain sane when a Raven mentally torments him or her? In “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator reaches insanity, and is afflicted by the presence of the bird. Poe’s poem brilliantly depicts the decay of a man’s mental state, after the death of his beloved Lenore, and ventures into his condition as the Raven torments him. Poe also emphasizes the narrator’s distress and mental instability throughout the poem through the use of metaphors and diction.
To begin, Poe’s use of figurative language, especially metaphors, helps exemplify the narrator’s distressed situation. As the Raven continues to bellow “nevermore” from atop the chamber door, the narrator is utterly puzzled and “sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable

The Raven, quite unresponsive to his inquiries, leaves the narrator fuming as he continues to force the intruding bird to flee. Staring at the bird, the narrator hollers, “Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!” (Poe 100). The narrator, having lost his loved one Lenore, yearns to recall his memories of her. When the Raven torments the narrator, however, he only wishes to be left alone. The rather irate word choice indicated his eagerness to be isolated is a representation of his insanity and the instability of his inner self. As the narrator’s questions for the Raven become more and more personal to him, he commands the bird to “take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! / Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’” (Poe 101). The narrator blames the Raven for his sufferings, when it is his own thoughts which are to blame. Poe’s word choice in this line brilliantly illustrates the narrator’s confusion because he is not acknowledging how his own thoughts are ravaging his mind. To add on, the Raven’s repetition of nevermore has a deeper meaning. At first, “nevermore” meant that Lenore would never be with him again, however, as the poem progresses, the phrase means the narrator will never be sane again. Through diction, Poe is able to illustrate the narrator’s deranged mind to the