Emig Poe Blog

For this week’s readings, we are asked to compare the extreme, stringent world that is Puritanism to the dark, mysterious works of famed American writer, Edgar Allan Poe. Puritanism can really be defined by those extreme values of natural depravity and predestination. The notion of natural depravity asserts that human beings, in and of themselves, were sinful creatures. We, as humans, are evil beings—and therefore, need God’s grace to protect us and save us from our sins. Predestination ties in with this notion of natural depravity, in that our destinies have already been fulfilled. Whether we go to heaven or hell, whether God saves us—these questions have already been answered for us. No matter what we do, no matter how much we pray, the fate of our lives is not in our hands. For the Puritans, this motivated them to perform good works, but in a strict manner. Therefore, life was not about enjoying one’s self—it was more about preparation for the next life. For example, in The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, gothic sentiment denies human perfectibility.  At the ransacking of her home, she states “Thus were we butchered by those merciless heathen, standing amazed, with the blood running down to our heels. My eldest sister being yet in the house, and seeing those woeful sights, the infidels hauling mothers one way, and children another, and some wallowing in their blood: and her elder son telling her that her son William was dead, and myself was wounded, she said, "And Lord, let me die with them," which was no sooner said, but she was struck with a bullet, and fell down dead over the threshold.” The heathens in this passage, whether Puritans would admit to it or not, are indeed humans. Rowlandson portrays these men both as “heathens” and “merciless” in their evildoings. The savages show no remorse, and all Rowlandson wants is to die—to be put out of her misery in this life and move on to the next one. At this particular point in her story, I do not believe she cares where that is. She is living in pure terror and desperately wants to rid herself of that ever-consuming terror.

Switching gears, we now look at the works of Poe. The main goal of Poe’s works is to instill emotion in his readers. After one finishes reading his literature, he wants that emotion, those feelings to stick with his readers—for him, it is what makes a good writer. He wants to leave a lasting impression. He does this through his gothic fiction. Using themes such as death, suffering, darkness, and mystery, he shows the imperfections of human existence. Essentially, humans have a dark side—a twisted side of mystery, death, insanity and even the supernatural. For Poe, elements related to death, suffering, and mystery do not faze him. His fiction, though provocative and captivating, is actually quite disturbing. In “The Black Cat,” Poe writes, “It is impossible to describe, or to imagine, the deep, the blissful sense of relief which the absence of the detested creature occasioned in my bosom. It did not make its appearance during the night - and thus for one night at least, since its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul!” This passage illustrates just how gothic sentiment denies human perfectibility. Though the speaker knows what he did was wrong and even “hideous,” he does not show any real remorse, like that of the savages. Humans are not perfect; we all have a dark side. The notion of natural depravity affirms that we all have the inclination to sin and indeed will sin. Unlike Puritan writers, Poe uses this inclination to sin as a means to connect on a deeper level with his audience. We all must experience death, sin, suffering, and even moments of insanity. Poe shows us the extremes of these experiences and confirms that natural depravity does indeed ring true. If the world is evil, why not embrace it for what it is? If we are predestined for heaven or hell, what difference does it make if we are inherent evil beings? Another quote I would like to add comes from the last lines of one of my favorite short stories, “The Masque of the Red Death.” Poe writes, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.” This last line, particularly, discusses gothic images that point to the fact that humans are not perfect creatures. Darkness, decay, and death conquer man every day. Perhaps, Puritans would interpret this story as a reminder of the natural depravity of man. No matter how powerful, happy or innocent you may seem, the dark side of man (the gothic sentiment) still exists and does ultimately prevail.