Poling

Jamie Poling
English 107
Professor Parsons
June 6, 2014
Alcohol As An Influence In Edgar Allan Poes Works
Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809. In Massachusetts, his literary works became
famous for their eerie themes and morbid endings. While Poes short stories and poems
were dark, they taught good life lessons. In Poes works, a reoccurring theme of
alcoholism can be found. Although Edgar Allan Poe's works are mostly fictional, his
known abuse of alcohol throughout the years and the consistent theme of alcoholism in
his stories shows that he may have been modeling the characters in his story after his own
life and experiences.
Throughout Poes life, alcohol was a strong temptation. According to Edgar Allan
Poe Society of Baltimore, both Poes father, David Poe Jr., and brother, Henry Poe, were
hard-core drinkers (Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore). Poe once wrote a letter that
revealed Henry is entirely given up to drink and unable to help himself (Edgar Allan
Poe Society of Baltimore). Although Poe was abandoned by his birth father at an early
age in 1810 (Canada, Edgar Allan Poe), it is known that traits such as alcoholism can be
passed genetically from father to son. Because Poes father was believed to be an
alcoholic, that may explain why both Poe and his brother had a bad relationship with
alcohol.
Not only was Poe influenced by his birth familys drinking habits, but the illness
of his wife also contributed to his abuse of alcohol. Poes wife, Virginia, died an early

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death in 1847. Her illness was first discovered in 1842, resulting in five long years of
pain and suffering for both her and her husband (Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore).
During Virginias times of illness, Poe would turn to alcohol to cure his depression. Poe
himself wrote, During these fits of absolute unconsciousness, I drank, God only knows
how often or how much (Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore). This quote shows that
Poe admits to drinking incredible amounts of alcohol, so much to the point that he could
not even estimate how much he drank. Through his depression and remorse over his
wifes illness, it is very likely that Poe developed some kind of addiction to alcohol. The
period of his wifes illness from 1842-1847, was not, coincidentally when Poe wrote most
of his stories that feature some kind of reference to alcohol. In 1843, Poe wrote The
Black Cat. In 1844, he wrote The Angel of the Odd. Finally, just one year after
Virginias death, Poe wrote Lines on Ale. Based on these dates, it is quite likely that
Poes experiences with alcohol during the time of his wifes illness may have influenced
the themes of his works.
Though some may argue that Poe was not an alcoholic, there is enough evidence
to prove that his relationship with alcohol was rather abusive. According to The Edgar
Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, there were many occasions during Poes life where he
was seen in public making a fool of himself as a result of becoming quite drunk. Dr.
Thomas Dunn English recalled Poe had been found gloriously drunk in the street after
nightfall, and had been helped home (Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore). It has been
reported on many occasions that Poe was seen in a public place clearly intoxicated. The
morning after he was scheduled to deliver a lecture which was cancelled due to bad
weather in 1845, an office boy for the Broadway Journal named Alexander Crane

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revealed that Poe came to the office leaning on the arm of a friend, intoxicated with
wine (Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore). Most people tend to drink casually, but in
the case of Poe, who has been seen intoxicated in public on many occasions, it is clear
that he had lost control of his ability to resist alcoholic beverages. It is extremely
uncommon to reach the point of intoxication where one must be guided by a friend so
early in the morning. Not only that, but The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore also
tells that Poe had written letters to his friends, apologizing for his embarrassing behavior
that ensued while he was drunk. Poe wrote to F.W. Thomas and Jesse E. Dow, Please
express my regret to Mr. Fuller for making such a fool of myself in his house, and say to
him (if you think it necessary) that I should not have got half so drunk on his excellent
Port but for the rummy coffee with which I was forced to wash it down. This quote
shows yet another case where Poe made a fool of himself while being intoxicated. With
so many pieces of evidence that show Poe being intoxicated in public, it is hard to deny
that he possesses traits of an alcoholic.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote a wide range of stories during his lifetime, but many of his
works feature some kind of mention of alcoholic, or themes that surround the negative
effects of drinking. One major work that conveyed this theme was The Angel of the
Odd. The story introduces the protagonist eating supper by himself. But, he does not
finish his meal without an alcoholic beverage. The table where he sits features some
miscellaneous bottles of wine, spirit, and liqueur (Poe, 1). Shortly after his dinner, the
protagonist is greeted with a visit by a large man who reveals himself as The Angel of
the Odd. Whether or not this figure is an actual person or just the effect of the main
characters intoxication, that remains a mystery to the audience. But, there is a good

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chance that The Angel of the Odd may be a symbol for alcohol himself. Even the way
that The Angel of the Odds appearance is described causes the audience to think of
alcohol. He is described as having a body like a rum-puncheon, legs that are replaced
with kegs, and arms that resemble two tolerably long bottles (Poe, 3). Not only that, but
the Angel of the Odd is constantly providing the protagonist with alcoholic drinks. When
the main characters drink is nearly empty, the Angel of the Odd replenished my
gobletwith a colorless fluid that he poured from one of his hand bottles (Poe, 3). The
way that the Angel of the Odd continues to provide the main character with drinks is very
similar to the way that alcohol can become addictive for those who drink it. Finally, the
Angel of the Odd comes and goes, but he seems to be the source of the main characters
problems. Each time our protagonist is in danger, the Angel of the Odd returns. This
seems to resemble a relationship with alcohol like Poes, where he relied on drinks during
the low points of his life. Not only that, but the protagonists life turned to turmoil
immediately after his first encounter with the Angel of the Odd. Based on this, it is likely
that Poe was trying to warn his audience of the dangers of alcohol and how it can easily
can become addictive and ruin ones life.
Another work that suggests the dangers of alcohol is The Black Cat. Our main
character in this story readily admits that he has a problem with Alcohol. He actually calls
it a disease. He says, But my disease grew upon mefor what disease is like Alcohol!
(Poe, 138). During the era that this work was written in, it was uncommon for alcoholism
to be called a disease. But Poe knew the horrors of alcoholism first hand. Because of
the main characters addiction to alcohol, he begins to abuse both his wife and his cat. He
admits, one night, after returning home, much intoxicated I fancied that the cat

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avoided my presence (Poe, 138). Shortly after realizing this, the main character cuts one
the cats eyes from its socket. The character admits to losing control, saying I knew
myself no longer. Not only that, but Trent McDonald, author of the essay Seeing Poes
Fight with Alcoholism through his Stories The Black Cat and The Cask of
Amontillado, makes a good point that the main character of this story does not mourn
the loss of his cat, and later his wife. McDonald says that the character shows his selfcenteredness this way, which is another trait of an alcoholic (McDonald, 3). This is type
of behavior and feeling of losing control is incredibly similar to the way that Poe reported
to act while he was drunk in public. Even though Poe himself did not kill his own wife or
any animals as far as we know, this feeling of losing control while intoxicated shows that
Poe may have unconsciously given this main character some of his own traits.
Yet another work that features more than one mention of alcohol is The Cask of
Amontillado. In this story, Fortunato is portrayed as man who is very knowledgeable of
a variety of alcoholic beverages. When Montressor reveals that he will ask his friend
Luchesi if his Amontillado is worth the price he paid, Fortunato is quick to offer up his
services for a chance to taste some good alcohol. Fotrunato says, Luchesi cannot tell
Amontillado from Sherry (Poe, 144). Not only that, but Fortunato is introduced already
drunk. Throughout the story, he is fueled by his desire for alcohol. When Montressor
offers to take him back, he denies. When Montressor tells his friend of the nitre that
might cause him to become sick, Fortunato is only concerned with the Amontillado (Poe,
147). Based on his lust for the Amontillado, Fortunato is trapped to his own death.
Through this unfortunate ending, it is clear that Poe is trying to tell the audience that the

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abuse of alcohol can only lead to unfortunate events. This is something that Poe had
experienced in his life on multiple occasions.
Finally, one short poem Poe wrote titled Lines on Ale that explains the joyous
feeling of being drunk. Through the chamber of my brainQuaintest thoughts
queerest fancies come to life and fade away (Poe 4-6). This quote explains how the
feeling of being drunk is enjoyable. One can imagine wonderful things that come to life
within the mind. Although Poe drank in times of depression, it would be unlikely for him
to return to alcohol over and over again if the feeling was not enjoyable. The way that
this feeling is portrayed, it seems like an addictive sort of experience. If this was what
Poe felt while he was intoxicated, that could very well explain why he turned to alcohol
so frequently.
There is plenty of information to show that Poe had a drinking problem during his
life. With the alcoholism running in the family, the depression from his wifes death, the
letters he wrote to friends, and the evidence from those who had seen Poe drunk on the
streets, one cannot deny that Poe had alcoholic tendencies. Many of his works have
negative themes surrounding alcohol. After reading his some of his short stories and
poems and applying aspects of his own life, it is easy to see how Poe might have written
these works while inserting details from his previous life experiences.

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Works Cited
Edgar Allan Poe, Drugs, and Alcohol. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore N.p.,
Jan 2009. Web. 01 June 2014.
Canada, Mark. Edgar Allan Poe. Canadas America. N.p., 1997. Web. 01 June 2014.
McDonald, Trent. Seeing Poes Fight with Alcoholism through his Stories The Black
Cat and The Cask of Amontillado. Trents World N.p., April 2004. Web.
01 June 2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan. Lines On Ale. eBooks @ Adelaide N.p., 17 Mar 2014. Web. 01 June
2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Angel of the Odd. Pinkmonkey.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 01 June
2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama.
Ed. Robert Diyanni. New York: McGraw Hill. 2007. 137-142. Print.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry
and Drama. Ed. Robert Diyanni. New York: McGraw Hill. 2007.
145-149. Print.