Within Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” poem, the speaker has positive character traits. For instance, the speaker is objective. The speaker is objective because he disregards whether the raven is evil or not and seeks to learn from this bird. Further, the speaker is respectful; he seeks permission from the raven for not responding quickly to the raven’s knock at the door.
Moreover, the speaker loves visitors (is hospitable); he considers himself blessed because of the visit from the raven. In addition, the speaker is a godly individual; he loves God. This essay explores “The Raven” to show that the speaker features the following positive character traits: objectivity, respectfulness, hospitability, and godliness.
Given that the speaker disregards whether or not the raven is evil and instead seeks to learn from this bird, the speaker illustrates the positive character trait of objectivity. In this regard, the speaker asks the raven to tell him from where he could obtain consolation for his tormented soul (Poe, lines 85-90). Further the speaker asks the raven if there is a possibility of getting into contact with a loved woman named Lenore (91-96). It is instructive to note that the speaker does not care about the identity of the raven. Consequently, the speaker is focused on obtaining questions for his questions. This way, the speaker establishes himself as an objective individual.
By seeking the raven’s permission for not responding quickly to the raven’s knock, the speaker illustrates that he has the positive character trait of respectfulness. On this note, the speaker is dozing when the raven knocks on the door. He does not thereby hear the raven’s knocking on time. The speaker does not thus promptly welcome the raven into the house. To compensate for this error, the speaker pleads the raven’s forgiveness (19-24). Here, the speaker highlights his respectful personality.
Considering that, on account of the visiting raven, the speaker considers himself blessed; the speaker further illustrates his positive character trait of being hospitable. To this end, the speaker declares that he is the only living human being who has been visited by a raven. The speaker is thus an outstanding and blessed individual (49-54). From this remark, it is clear that the speaker enjoys taking care of guests. Consequently, the speaker features the positive character trait of hospitability.
By observing that he loves God, the speaker highlights his positive character trait of godliness. In this regard, the speaker pleads with the raven to provide an answer to his question regarding Lenore. To add weight to his pleas, the speaker observes that both him and the raven love God (91-96). Through this remark, the speaker illustrates that he defers to some divine entity. Consequently, a reader would validly infer that the speaker lives according to some perfect standards. Given this analysis, it is evident that the speaker bears the positive character trait of godliness.
In conclusion, the speaker within “The Raven” features certain positive character traits. For instance, the speaker is objective, respectful, hospitable, and godly. It is interesting that Poe depicts the speaker, a depressed individual, as an individual with positive character traits. To gain insights, it is prudent to investigate why Poe makes this characterization.
