Edgar Allen Poe's Alone

In Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “Alone”, Poe reveals that egocentrism can lead to loneliness because of an inability to see beyond oneself and truly know and understand others and experiences. In the poem, the persona speaks about how he has felt different ever since his childhood; he focuses on himself and his own problems instead of trying to have positive outlook on life. Excessive use of the words “I”, “my”, and “me” projects the idea of egocentrism and also portrays the inability to understand that others can feel out of place and can therefore be a source of comfort (line 1, 4, 12). When the speaker says “[he had] not seen / as others saw”, he means that he has a different perspective on ordinary events and emotions than everyone else has (2-3). He thinks that his life is the “most” difficult and that he is alone in his “[demons]”, when, in reality, others experience similar challenges (10, 22).
In the beginning of the poem, the speaker is reflecting on his childhood and recognizes that his feelings are common even though the events that trigger these emotions are different.
The use of words such as “others” (2), “common” (4), “same” (6), and “all” (8) portrays the speaker as the only one who is unique, when, in reality, no one is exactly the same. As the poem continues, though, the reader finds that it isn’t necessarily his personality that is different, but rather the speaker’s perception of life. The persona claims “[he had] not seen / as others saw” because he believes that his perception of common occurrences is distorted compared to others (2-3). This leads to the speaker feeling “alone” in everything that he lives for when in reality all people have different emotional triggers and impressions of certain experiences.
(8). As the poem continues, the reader begins to see that after he has matured, the speaker feels that his life is the “most” difficult, implying that he is self-centered even in adulthood (10). He doesn’t understand why he perceives events differently and it “binds [him]” throughout his life (12). The speaker then goes on to describe similar natural occurrences and how he perceives each as the other, such as a “torrent” and a “fountain”; these are both streams of water, a common vehicle for metaphors for emotion (13). This implies that the speaker still doesn’t understand why his emotions are different. Another point where the reader can see egocentrism is when the speaker portrays the idea of the sun revolving “[around him]” and the lightning “[passing him]”; this focus on himself most likely will create a sense of isolation throughout the speaker’s life (15, 18). When he says “the rest of Heaven [is] blue”, it implies that being the same is his purpose in life (21). The speaker feels that even beautiful things, will become a “demon in [his] view”, which implies prior difficulties affect how he perceives things (22). His inability to understand that others also have problems prevents him from trying to have a more positive than negative perception in his life, creating a feeling of loneliness and despair. Overall, it is important to attempt to relate to others so that one can know that they are not alone in their experiences and emotions. “Alone” expresses this idea by showing the loneliness that comes from not attempting to perceive things in a more positive rather than negative light. Being self-centered can only do more harm than good, so it is best to live a life in understanding and accepting others instead of being wrapped up in one’s own life.