Madness Depicted in Poe Stories

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the ways in which madness always makes an appearance in Edgar Allan Poe's stories and then looks at some of Poe's interesting characters that are mad beyond any hope. Specifically, the paper looks at "Ligeia," "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "William Wilson" as examples of stories with narrators that cannot fight the mad demon and instead yield to its calling.

From the Paper:

"The paranoia the narrator experiences stems from alcoholism but we must remember that alcoholism is a symptom of something else that is going on inside of the man. His mental state, too, is probably enhanced by alcohol but by no means is caused by it. We see the narrator's instability with his relationship with the cat. He love he creature but he also hates it. He rids himself of the creature because it causes him mental distress but then the animal haunts him. What is most disturbing about this character's madness is how he can commit cold-blooded murder without giving it a second thought."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Poe, Edgar Allan. "Ligeia." The Complete Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Minneapolis: Amaranth Press. 1981. pp. 132-42.
• ---. "The Black Cat." The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2004.
• ---. "The Cask of Amontillado." Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Minneapolis: Amaranth Press. 1981.
• . "William Wilson." The Complete Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Minneapolis: Amaranth Press. 1981.

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