Dominant Themes in Edgar Allan Poe’s Writings

            Most, if not all of Edgar Allan Poe’s writings are tragic comprising of cynical perspectives of people and how these influence rituals of life and death as the main scenarios of his stories namely in “Black Cat,” Liegia” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” One theme is death and dying, given an elaborate, ceremonial treatment (“Rituals of Life and Death” para. 5).

            It is interesting to note that Poe’s writings are psychologically disturbing. In his “Black Cat,” it spoke of violence, hatred and guilt in a magical and peculiar way with a nerve-racking finale. It is described as a wicked bizarre short story of horror and murder from a prison cell.” “The Black Cat”” combines “several themes that fascinated Poe–reincarnation, perversity, and retribution.” (qtd. in “The Black Cat” para.5)

On the other hand, “Liegia” is a Gothic short story grief and mourning expressing themes of love and the female as implied in death. Though fictional, Poe’s perceptions of women are transcended through this story making it as though neurotically real. He also thinks her beauty, more specifically her eyes, as a “strange mystery” (Deter, para. 3).

Finally, “The Cask of Amontillado” is an ironical short story about betrayal and revenge depicting the inner conflicts which motivate a person to commit a crime. It involved a religious tone in the entire saga as it portrayed burial rites at the time it was written. Like all his other works, Poe expressed intense hatred and animosity as interpreted in psychological terms.

Works Cited

Deter, Floramaria. n.d. Romanticism & The Supernatural in Edgar Allan Poe’s Ligeia. January 24, 2008 <http://classiclit.about.com/od/poeedgarallan/a/aa_eapoeligeia.htm>

“Rituals of Life and Death: Recurring Themes in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe.” n.d. January 24, 2008 <http://global.cscc.edu/engl/299/PoeBestThemesRituals.htm>

“The Black Cat.” n.d. Poe’s Prose. January 24, 2008 <http://www.usna.edu/EnglishDept/poeperplex/blcat.htm>

“The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe | Introduction.” eNotes.com. January 24, 2008 <http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/cask-amontillado-edgar-allan-poe>