The Raven is one of Poe's best known works. It is a dialogue between a man who is mourning his lost love and a raven, which is the symbol of his sadness. Symbolism is a major aspect of Poe's writing. The poem begins late one night while the main character is sadly remembering his lost love. He is interrupted by a tapping sound, and thinks it is his lost love speaking to him. He finally sees a raven perched on a statue in his room. The raven speaks, and says its name is "nevermore". The man talks to the raven, and begins to ask the raven questions. The man is reminded about the woman throughout their conversation by the decorating in his room. He gets frustrated by the raven in their conversation because the only work the raven can speak is "nevermore". He stops the conversation when he realizes that it is making him more frustrated. The poem ends on a sad note; the narrator sees his shadow on the floor. His last words are words of despair: "And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted –nevermore"(Lauter 2470).
             Poe uses symbols throughout his poem. The raven is a symbol of despair and illustrates the narrator's mood. It is a symbol of bad luck and the narrator's melancholy mood. I think it is easy to understand why Poe chose the raven to be the other character I the poem.
             Another symbolic meaning is where the raven is sitting in the room. He is perched on the statue of Pallas, who is the Greek goddess of wisdom. The reader might interpret that the raven is also a symbol of wisdom and is not simply repeating the only work he knows how to speak.
             The poem begins in the man's room in the middle of a winter night. It symbolizes the despair and loneliness of the man because he has lost his true love. Objects in the room, such as his chair, remind the man of Lenore, his lost love. The cold
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