The Influence Of Edgar Allen Poe’s Life On His Writings

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The life events of Edgar Allan Poe greatly influenced the style and content of his work. There are many common motifs or allusions that are seen time and again in Poe’s writing.
One motif that appears in Poe’s literature is the Old man-father figure (Basuray 1). This figure is usually seen as evil and unwanted by others. This is probably because he seemed to hate all the men in his life. Poe’s natural father, David Poe, died in 1910 at the age of 36 when Edgar was only one year old. He was left with his pregnant mother who was an actress. Their family struggled very much. Later Poe said that he felt deserted by his natural father (Poe, Edgar 2-3). Poe despised his stepfather John Allen. They argued frequently and John rarely showed his affection toward Edgar. “…[He] even described his son as ‘miserable, sulky, and ill-tempered’” (Poe, Edgar 3). The Allen’s moved to Virginia, then London, and eventually, after John’s company went under, to New York. Edgar had bitter feelings toward John because of all the relocating. He disliked the
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boarding school in England and felt lonely and unwanted everywhere else. He later brought shame on his family because of his alcoholic addiction and army ejection. He was disowned by John Allen and received a letter desiring “no further communication with yourself on my part” (Drugs and alcohol 3). Poe’s stepfather
should’ve been the role model in his life but he instead became an evil character in many of his stories because of the tension in their relationship.
“In Poe’s writing the old man figure may retain knowledge but he is far different than the contemporary definition of the old man archetype” (Basuary 5). He showed a certain evil in him that had never been established in a reoccurring character before. “The Tell Tale Heart” is a great example of this reoccurring character. The narrator hated the “eye” but not the man. Although...