Edgar Allen Poe: few names such as this one can strike both fear and adoration in hearts of literature students everywhere. As a writer, Poe was known for his macabre stories that often ended with characters becoming ill, being buried alive, or dying other gruesome, torturous deaths. The tone of his works is fairly consistent, with most of Poe’s work having a dark, moody, and an overall melancholy tone. With his stories being favored as a topic of research for many English students, I began to wonder about his personal life. What struggles was he grappling with that caused his stories to be so dark in tone and mood? After careful research and analysis, I am making the argument that Poe was a deeply disturbed individual who was struggling with alcoholism and possibly even a host of mental illnesses, and I believe it is most probable that Poe was suffering from borderline personality disorder. I believe that he suffered with these issues due to his childhood, his upbringing, and the many tragedies that he was forced to face in his life.
Poe’s life in general has often been described as a “disaster” (Pruette 370), with tragedies sometimes happening to him in quick succession with one another. Poe’s many tragedies befell him from the time of his birth. He was born in 1809 to incredibly poor parents, with his father leaving the family shortly after his birth. His mother died a year later of tuberculosis (Pruette 371), which left Poe and his three siblings as orphans. The three siblings were each adopted by different families, separating them. Poe was eventually taken in by John Allan, a wealthy Virginian merchant. From that point forward, Poe had a complex, and highly volatile relationship with his adoptive father (Pruette 372). In his early years, John Allan was reportedly proud of his adopted son and his level of precocity and intelligence. He would often times even have his son recite poetry to entertain guests after a dinner party. Poe was often spoiled by his adopted parents in the early years; it was even claimed that it was at these dinner parties where Poe first gained a taste for alcohol. This spoiling was often in place of love and sympathy, however. According to Poe, in regards to his foster parents, he never really received “paternal affection or sympathy” (Pruette 372). Reports written by Poe’s childhood physicians, however, describe Poe as being a neurotic child that was “morbidly” sensitive towards love and affection, and it has been described as entirely possible that normal affection would have seemed insufficient to him (Pruette 373).
As Poe got older, the Allans decided to set sail for England in 1815, taking Poe with them and then enrolling him at a school under Dr. Bransby, which was located in a suburb of London. Poe had acclimated to a fairly normal home life, and him being left in a school for five years with little to no contact with his foster parents surely disestablished some of the connection he formed with his parents. One thing is clear from this time in his life, however; being on the sea surely affected him. Many of his stories mention water or the sea with an amount of fondness and tenderness; it seems that the sea was able to stir within him a love and curiosity for the beautiful things in the world.
After their sea voyage, Poe was enrolled in a preparatory school in Richmond, and as he became a young adult, he found himself as the subject of torment in school, where fellow peers bullied him over his foster parents’ occupations (his mother being an actress, and John Allan being a merchant) and this situation increased his sense of rebellion, making him feel as though he had to defend himself against the accusations of inferiority he was facing (Pruette 373). He assumed positions of leadership, taking on swimming, and a variety of other intellectual prusuits. His classmates noted that as time went on, he further withdrew into himself, becoming less amiable and friendly towards his peers.
After completing preparatory school, Poe went on to the University of Virginia, where he found himself being thrown into a lifestyle revolving around gambling and drinking. He quickly and recklessly fell into a two thousand dollar debt, and it was noted by fellow classmates that while drninking, he drank heavily, and gulped down drinks, rather than sipping. This is where his addictions began to take hold, and he kept it going throughout all of his life (Pruette, 374).
After his unsuccessful attempt at schooling and with no money left, Poe enlisted into the United States Army at the age of eighteen. He published a collection of poetry during this time, but it received little attention, if any. After serving for two years and attaining the rank of Sergeant Major for Artillery, he sought to end his five-year enlistment early, and his commanding officer agreed, but only if he were to reconcile with his father, whom he had stopped talking to. John Allan did not respond, despite Poe’s foster mother’s illness. After several years of pleading with his father to respond to him, and after his wife’s death, John Allan softened and gave into Poe’s pleas. It was at this point that Poe moved in with his Aunt Clemm, which would then change his life forever.
Poe’s love life was no less tragic than his family or academic life. He had a passionate desire for love and acceptance even from an early age; no matter how much attention or love she gave the young Poe, he seemed to always be craving more (Pruette, 378). Perhaps his greatest and most well-known love, however, was his fourteen year old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He had resided with his aunt for a time, and from an early age, they found themselves harboring a strong connection. His aunt provided him a sense of protection and safety from the outside world. He reportedly felt free from people who wanted to harm him or make him feel inferior (Pruette 379).
This period of Poe’s life was perhaps the most prosperous. He was one of the first Americans to attempt making a living out of being a writer (and only a writer) and he found himself garnering a small amount of attention for his prose and poetry.
Deaths then began to befall Poe once more; in 1831, his brother died due to problems with alcoholism, and no more than a decade later, he lost Virginia to tuberculosis. When she fell ill, Poe began drinking heavily again. When Poe lost his beloved Virginia, he became increasingly unstable, eventually falling ill and dying of still unknown causes in 1849.
Poe’s story is deeply tragic; he was a human being that constantly craved acceptance, love, and affection, even when it was being given to him. These themes regularly appear in his works, particularly in his poetry regarding his late wife, Virginia. This theme ebbs into another theme that is common to Poe’s works: premature burial and mourning. His life was surrounded by death, and it is reflected in his writing. Based upon Poe’s life and the trials and tribulations that he faced, I believe he suffered irreparable damage to his psyche, particularly in his early childhood. His constant neediness as described by his foster mother align with several mental disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, borderline personality disorder is marked by unstable moods, behaviors, and relationships (NIMH). It is also common for people suffering from this disorder to display feelings of loneliness, neediness, attachment, and substance abuse (NIMH). Most scientists and researchers agree that while genetics can play a key component in the development of this disorder, environmental factors often play a much greater role (NIHM). According to both the NIMH and the DSM (a widely used diagnostic tool for psychological disorders), a person must have at least five of the following symptoms (NIMH):
Extreme reactions to abandonment, whether real or perceived
Patterns of intense and stormy relationships with loved ones, often veering from idealization to devaluation
Distorted and unstable self-image, which can result in sudden changes in feelings, values, or goals for the future
Impulsive and dangerous behaviors
Recurring suicidal behaviors
Intense and highly changeable moods
Chronic feelings of emptiness or bordedom
Intense or inappropriate anger
Stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms
According to Poe’s own testimony, and the testimonies of doctors and loved ones, Poe displayed extreme reactions to abandonment, impulsive behaviors, severe dissociative symptoms, and patterns of intense and stormy relationships with loved ones. According to teachers as well, Poe was a mischievous child who reacted poorly when faced with negative criticism or comments. In his early years, this manifested itself as rebellion, but in his later years, Poe responded to criticism by spiraling further and further out of control with symptoms of depression and suicidal ideations.
The most important evidence behind the claim that Poe had a mental illness is not in testimony, however. It is reflected in his writing. For instance, in “The Black Cat,” Poe presents a protagonist suffering from irrationality, and guilt. The irrational fear of a black cat may symbolize Poe’s own irrational fear of being abandoned. Poe also covers themes of perverseness, or constantly doing wrong, even to loved ones. This theme is then followed by guilt, which always follows after hurting someone or doing wrong. In this story, he described perverseness as a primitive impulse of the human heart, and he described himself as being unable to avoid an impulse, as though he were helpless. The way he describes the urge to do things that will hurt others, or even just himself is very true to what people with borderline personality disorder describe. In my mind, this was the most compelling piece of information, because he described his impulses as things that he must do. He seemed to view them as though he was being held hostage by his urges and desires. This is consistent with the behaviors associated with borderline personality disorder.
Even in “The Raven,” Poe is obviously being tormented. By the end of the poem, however, it becomes clear that the protagonist of the poem is being tormented by his own mind. Throughout the poem, themes regarding darkness, sorrow, and nightmares are introduced and treated as though they are outside forces that the protagonist in the poem is fighting. In reality, I believe that these are meant to symbolize Poe’s own demons that he must face. The nightmares and darkness that are confronting the protagonist are really Poe’s own insecurities and thoughts. Poe was struggling through his own tragedies at this point in his life, so it is entirely feasible that he was attempting to illustrate how his inner demons and thoughts and insecurities were outside forces that were attacking him.
In conclusion, I believe that all of the evidence clearly suggests that Poe had a debilitating mental disorder (likely borderline personality disorder) and that this disorder inspired his writing, yet hampered his ability to live and exist without suffering. I think that it is probable that Poe was struggling with a lot of aftereffects from his turbulent childhood. He was orphaned at a very young age while in poverty, was forcibly torn away from his siblings, and given to a family that spoiled him materially, but did not give him the amount of affection or attention that he so desperately required. I believe that this rocky and often volatile childhood and adolescence laid a foundation for a future struggle with mental illness. His experience in the army, although briefly successful, was ultimately a failure, and he was forced to reestablish communication with his foster father, who disliked him for the most part, in order to get out of that situation. Afterwards, although he was able to gain a sense of peace for a time with his aunt and cousin (later his wife), that was also all torn away from him due to Virginia’s tragic illness and the other deaths that he faced around that same time. After this, he was known for being melancholy and unapproachable for most of the rest of his life, and he descended back into a world where his demons were eating him alive, and he was struggling with addiction. All of these things that happened to him sent him into a downward spiral that surprisingly produced some of the most revered work in the English language today. His poems are the strongest evidence that he was facing mental illness. He regularly writes about feelings of hopelessness, despair, abandonment, and addiction and substance abuse. He discusses these from the viewpoint of a protagonist, using a third-person point of view, but I believe this is because it was easier to do that than to be autobiographical. I’m strongly convicted in this hypothesis because based upon historical evidence and his writing, there is no other realistic explanation for why Poe was so tortured, and why he failed in the fight against some of his demons, and met an untimely death. Perhaps it was his inner anguish that gave his writing the characteristic melancholy and gothic tones that it is known for today. Either way, Poe faced a lot of challenges and trials throughout his life, and although these trials produced one of the greatest writers of all time, they ultimately destroyed the soul of Poe, and left behind an empty shell of a man who fell victim to his insecurities and addictions.
Works Cited
NIMH. "Borderline Personality Disorder." NIMH RSS. NIMH, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
Pruette, Lorine. "A Psycho-Analytical Study of Edgar Allan Poe." The American Journal of Psychology 31.4 (1920): 370-402. Web. 24 May 2016.
