Throughout history, women have been subjected to the fancy of men. They have been ordered to be seen and not heard, to be a pretty accessory on the arm of a successful man. This societal order has given men a complex, an entitlement towards women that can sometimes be dangerous. In “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator is a textbook example of an entitled man whose musings towards his dead lover border on disturbing. Through examining key verses, it can be noted that the narrator has a difficult time distinguishing the word “love” from the word “obsession.”
Edgar Allan Poe is best known for his works surrounding dead women, but “Annabel Lee” is said to be his most beautiful and romantic poem. In The Philosophy of Composition, Poe states his belief that “‘...the death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world—and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover’” (706). This essentially shows the template of “Annabel Lee,” focusing only on the importance of the woman in regards to her relationship with the narrator. Her role as a daughter, sister, niece, or friend plays no importance, erasing her humanity as she only exists within the confines of the narrator’s affections. In a way, Annabel Lee could also be considered a Manic Pixie Dream Girl figure—a “magical” girl who exists only to help the male character find fulfillment in life and thus has no purpose herself, though Annabel Lee is not actively present in the poem. The reader learns nothing about Annabel Lee unless it is in relation to the narrator. She has no discernible personality: no thoughts, no actions, no desires. The narrator even says of her, “And this maiden she lived with no other thought / Than to love and be loved by me” (5-6). From the narrator’s telling of her, Annabel Lee only lives, or lived more accurately, for him. However, the reader also has to consider the possibility of an unreliable narrator, which is where the distinction between love and obsession comes into play. While the poem first seems to be a letter to a lost lover, a closer examination can show the controlling and possessive tendencies that the narrator actually describes. He claims their love was so strong “that the wingéd seraphs of Heaven / Coveted her and me” (11-12), which seems hyperbolic and more like wishful thinking. This is a way for him to cope with the events that happened, as he then states, “her highborn kinsmen came / And bore her away from me” (17-18). It is quite possible that her family took her away and she later died, rather than the angels plotting to kill her. As previously mentioned, the narrator appears to display a possessive mindset towards Annabel Lee that, possibly, her concerned family no longer wanted her to be around. The narrator then tells himself stories—perhaps after her death, when his mind was consumed with grief—to try to reconcile why they are no longer able to be together. This is all assuming, however, that Annabel Lee even returned the narrator’s feelings. As mentioned above, the reader knows nothing about her aside from what the narrator has told us, whose thoughts and perceptions are obviously muddled by his supposed love (re: obsession) for her. He wholeheartedly believes that Annabel Lee belongs to him, both body and soul, stating that neither angels nor demons, “Can ever dissever my soul from the soul / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (31-32). In fact, in the last verse, it is strongly hinted at that the narrator cuddles with her corpse: And so, all the night tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea-- In her tomb by the sounding sea. (38-41) Calling up images of the ending of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the narrator alludes to the fact that he wants to die along with Annabel Lee, preferably right beside her in her tomb. What is considered to be one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most romantic poems has some clear messages of obsession and stalking. The narrator’s supposed love for Annabel Lee does not accurately appear throughout the poem; in fact, the reader doesn’t even know why he loves Annabel Lee. All the narrator does is project his feelings upon her and regale the reader with the idea of Annabel Lee, not the actual person. Instead of declaring his steadfast love for a woman who has died, the narrator reads as an obsessive mess and highlights some very dangerous patriarchal views of women. Leave a Reply. |
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April 2018
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