What Does The Raven Symbolize

In “The Raven,” Edgar Allen Poe utilizes symbolism to create a gloomy mood for his readers. Poe begins his poem with a description form the narrator: “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December” (Poe 7). December is the end of the year which symbolizes the end of the narrator's sanity. There is an impending doom which creates a chilling effect. The raven represents darkness and imminent death. The only word the bird utters is “nevermore” which reveals that the narrator will never again regain his sanity. Edgar Allen Poe selects a raven to craft a macabre effect, as ravens are known for eating corpses and are considered more frightening than other birds. The narrator screams at the raven: “Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s