First, in Poe’s literary works, the tone can be often described as melancholy or sadness of the spirit. Poe had a number of experiences in his life, that caused him to feel sad. His melancholy is reflected in the tone of his works. One such work, The Raven, was written during the time his wife named Virginia was dying. “That I scarce was sure I heard you- here I opened wide the door;- Darkness there, and nothing more.” (The Raven). The poem is about a man who is grieving for his dead lover. This poem could be said to be written by Poe to express his sadness in the fact that Virginia’s time to die was nearing. This gives a depressing appeal to the reader and gives them a sense of Poe’s thoughts while writing The Raven. Another kind of sadness can be expressed in one of Poe’s short poems, Eldorado. “Fell as he found No spot of ground That looked like Eldorado.”(Eldorado) Throughout his life, Poe had always been searching for something, but he never found it. Poe suffered financial issues, he was gambling to earn money but ended up in deeper debt. This poem could have been written to show Poe’s desire and want to have a family, to be successful in his lifetime. Yet, he never got any of that. Eldorado has a more upbeat tone than to say, The Raven, but there still is a feeling of sadness. Wanting to reach something you always just seem to can’t, and yet never reaching it. Poe had a fascination with death, as depicted in his stories. Most likely because everyone around him was dying, such as his mother, wife, sister, and foster father. He expressed his sadness for death in one of his short stories, The Pit and The Pendulum. “My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls with the eagerness of the most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves spasmodically at the descent, although death would have been a relief, oh! How unspeakable!” (The Pit and The Pendulum). This story is very depressing, it describes someone being tortured. Who would think death would be a relief? It’s very likely that Poe believed that death would have been a relief, to put an end to the people’s lives he was closest to and stop their suffering. Clearly, the tone of Poe’s stories can be depicted as disheartening.
Furthermore, the characters in Poe’s works can be related to significant real people in Poe’s life time. Poe could have contrived these characters in a way to show that he missed these real people. In one of Poe’s stories, The Fall of The House of Usher, Roderick’s dead sister, Madeline, can relate to his dead wife named Virginia. “…indeed to the evidently approaching dissolution—of a tenderly beloved sister—his sole companion for long years—his last and only relative on earth.” (House of Usher). Roderick is the older brother of the ‘beloved sister’, named Madeline. When Madeline died due to her incurable illness, Roderick became heartbroken and mad. Roderick could very well represent Poe and Madeline could represent his dead wife, Virginia. Roger’s frustration could relate to Poe’s frustration and sadness he felt when Virginia died. In Eldorado, the knight dressed in splendid attire can relate to Poe himself. “Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.” As mentioned in the first paragraph, Poe had always been searching for something. The knight searching for Eldorado can represent Poe’s search for success and a living. Poe worked for many newspapers and magazines as an editor and critic. He was constantly traveling from place to place, somewhat like how the knight was traveling everywhere to search for his Eldorado. In The Raven, again, the characters could represent the longing or pain of losing Virginia. “And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore!’ This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, ‘Lenore!’ Merely this and nothing more.” (The Raven). Lenore could be thought to be Virginia, and the narrator or man, could be Poe. Agonized love and distress is depicted in his works. The agonizing love he felt for Virginia, seeing her dying slowly, could have caused him to create Lenore. As you can see, characters in Poe’s works can be seen as real people Poe knew in his lifetime.