based on Edgar’s happy times in England.(15) With Poe’s newfound wealth, he immersed himself in the arts. He would often quote Cervantes or Shakespeare and add that he was envious of their literary genius. At the tender age of fifteen, someone offered to publish a book of his works. Allan would not allow it though, as he was afraid of Poe’s ego swelling. Poe strived to excel in everything he did, swimming, long jump, running, and writing. This will to succeed showed up in his work later in life when he wrote constantly to keep up with the demand for his stories. Poe eventually broke away from Allan as a result of an argument between Allan and his second wife with Poe taking the wife’s side. He did briefly reconnect with Allan to get his recommendation for West Point. Poe eventually purposely failed our of West Point by missing classes and lost touch with his father all together.(18) These tumultuous times had great highs and lows which greatly affected Poe’s later writings.Another aspect of Poe’s life, which greatly affected his writing, was his poverty. Silverman agrees saying that, poverty was a consistent thread throughout his entire life (except his time with the Allans). In his early years, his mother’s career as an actress often left them with little more than donations from people who pitied the family.(10) Also, later in his life, Poe found himself in debt or poverty. This influenced many of his decisions; including the decision to work for little or nothing in order to get his first book published. This book, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, was published with no royalties going to Poe. His only consolation was that he got to keep the copyrights. It was these bittersweet times that allowed him his unique sense of self. He often equated love with pain, melancholy with beauty, and magnificence with death. Ronald Gottesman cites that he called death “...that f...
