Cory Owen

The Marriage of Death and the American Gothic: A Study on Poe

        The dark nature of Edgar Allan Poe's writings cannot be ignored.  The obsession with death in his works is what identifies him and provides such a clear example of the American Gothic.  The sense of dread and foreboding permeates his narratives with descriptive scenes that continue to haunt the reader.  His use of Gothic themes can be seen in works such as "Ligeia", "The Fall of the House of Usher", and "Annabel Lee".  Within the works of Poe, death and the Gothic are inextricably intertwined with an apprehensive undertone that taints the characters with a deep sense of dread. 
    While death may be assumed to play a part in all Gothic writings, it becomes an element tied to all his works.  While there are plenty of other Gothic components with his works, such as the interplay between light and dark, demons, Byronic heroes/heroines, and repression of fears, death is an element that truly marks his works.  It is as though Poe's main character really is the personification of Death.  In the three examples of his works that are included, each of the narrators has a special relationship with death in a manner that embodies the texts so that the readers can feel the cloud of destruction. The fatalistic nature of all Poe's works is such a defining point that each death is not a surprise, but rather an inevitability.  It is, in fact, death the becomes Poe's muse throughout his works.
    The theme of death provides much of the fodder for Poe's stories.  Within "Ligeia", we see the narrator overcome by the death of his beloved to the point where it permeates his entire being.  The same way that his love was an all encompassing obsession, death becomes a central theme throughout the story.  As the narrator delves into his story, he exalts Ligeia to grandiose proportions.  The descriptions that he gives of her exemplify the dark lady motif, but also give her a deathly appearance.  As the story continues, the narrator's preoccupation with Ligeia and her death gives the air of the fantastic. By sharing his story after she died, there is a sense of reminiscence that allows for the author to expound on only the perfection he finds in her.  As with all instances of hindsight, the narrator realizes too late and states, "[I]n death only, was I fully impressed with the intensity of her affection" (N683).  This type of surreal relationship between the two of them is evident throughout the story as though he were retelling it in a fog.  This lack of clarity and substance allows for the story to take on a more fantastical fell.  Even while alive, Ligeia had a sense of the supernatural as it is stated, "She came and departed like a shadow" (N 680).  As the full embodiment of a female Byronic character, Ligeia is described with "raven-black" hair, pale skin, and eyes that were "brilliant of black" (N 680-1).  When she dies, the narrator falls into despair with the consolation prize of the "fair-haired and blue-eyed lady Rowena" (N 684) who becomes Ligeia's foil, another element of the Gothic.  Since the narrator never truly accepts Ligeia's death, it is not surprising that Rowena's death follows quickly afterward.  The passing of his beloved left no room for Rowena and it is as though Death becomes the narrator's true love.  While the narrator, Ligeia and Rowena would seem to be the central characters within the story, Death's personification actually provides the readers with a glimpse into the inner workings of Poe's mind.  It is this constant attention to death within the story marks Poe's style and his preoccupation with the Gothic.
    Within Poe's story, "The Fall of the House of Usher", the narrator begins his tale with the notation of the gloom and decay surrounding the house. The ominous summonings from a childhood friend with a mysterious family history set up this narrative to provide the ideal setting for a perfect Gothic story.  The grounds not only provide an eerie air, but the Gothic elements of the home allow for the house itself to come alive and instill within the narrator "a sense of insufferable gloom" (N689).  As the narrator continues his story with descriptions of the Usher family, an element of discomfort follows him.  The very sight of Roderick causes him to note the "ghastly pallor" (N691) and the presence of Madeline leaves him "with an utter astonishment not unmingled with dread" (N693).   Poe also describes Roderick as having "a cadaverousness of complexion" (N 691).  With both of the Ushers personifying fatality in human form, we have the tangible expression of death throughout the story. From the onset of the story, the readers are provided a bleak picture of the despair and decay surrounding the Usher family.  The mysterious illness that besots Madeline's body is such a pungent disease that it pollutes her brother's body.  Roderick's premonitions of the future hold a bleak outlook:  "I must perish in this deplorable folly.  Thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost.  I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results" (N 692).  Madeline's death provides to be too much on Roderick and he succumbs to his own demise with the apparition of her "enshrouded figure" (N 701).  As Dendy Farrar notes in his 2002 essay, "Usher has prepared himself, as well as the reader, for his untimely death."  From the onset of the story and particularly from the title of the story, the end of the Usher line is imminent.  As the narrator learns of the lineality of the Usher family tree, he understands the severity of the problems that lie within the household.  By losing one of the Ushers, the entire line would collapse and it through this ploy that Poe provides the perfect arena to marry Death into the family lines. Poe's love for the Gothic and death are provide the base, but the true artistry is how such a fate will befall the Ushers.
    Even in lyrical poetry, Poe manages to incorporate death as a central theme.  The cadence of the poem itself is seemingly lighthearted and filled with love, but the subject matter exemplifies Poe's adoration for death as a central theme.  The narrator of the poem almost tricks the readers into seeing the poem as just another love letter reminiscing on his past with the catchy rhythm, but in actuality, the melancholy tone (with a splash of defiance) shows the true colors.  With references to Annabel Lee's death and the jealousy of the angels to the demons all at work against their love, the narrator intertwines the love that they share to death who plays a third party within the poem.  Their love is cut short by her family members and they are further separated by death.  Poe's preoccupation with death allows for the narrator to use her demise as just another hurdle to cross.  He challenges the angels and demons to find something stronger than death to sever their love.  The Gothic theme of death cannot be ignored, even with flowery language and the final lines of the poem juxtaposes the opposing images, but all by slanting it to the imagery of death: "And so, all the night tide, I lie down by the side/Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride/In her sepulcher there by the sea--/In her tomb by the sounding sea" (N 679).  The death of Annabel Lee is only in the second half of the poem, but the taboo nature of their love provides a Gothic nature even in the first half.  It is this somber tone throughout the poem that reminds the reader that Poe, even in his love poems, has a fixation on dark side of life.
    Throughout the three examples of Poe's writings, countless instances of Poe's obsession with the Gothic, and death in particular, are shown.  The haunting nature of death for all of his characters is linked to their fates and provides the reader with a glimpse into the shadowy realm of his imagination.  The Gothic provides ideal avenue for death to be the star.  In each of Poe's narratives, he embraces death as an integral part of the storyline and essential to the characters involved.  It is this obsession with death that creates such an enticing backdrop for Poe and his characters.