The demon female: A manifestation of Edgar Allan Poe's hidden terrors

This thesis examines the relationships and similarities between the female characters in Poe's short stories and the women in Poe's own life, particularly his mother, his stepmother and his wife, Virginia. This thesis analyzes and attempts to explain the reasons behind the female characters' apparent wickedness and evil, their depression and wickedness, and their power and cleverness in changing the entire lives of the male protagonists. Explanations are drawn from the Old Testament Bible and psychoanalytic and feminist theory. Edgar Allan Poe's mother Elizabeth (Eliza) died when Poe was a small child, leaving Poe deprived of maternal affection. Poe's stepmother Frances Allan adopted him and Poe again suffered additional trauma upon her later death. Poe's cousin and wife Virginia passed away at a very early age. Under the weight of these accumulated events, Poe developed a belief that he was cursed in relation to women. An enmity against all women grew within him. His works reflect this enmity. This enmity– even jealousy, womb envy – can be traced to the jealousy of woman's capacity to create: she can give birth to a living thing through her body, creating new life. Poe, like other men, may see this as a source of power. It may be possible to say that instinctively man wants this creation power for himself, resulting in his growing enmity and wrath. The female characters in Poe's works identify with Eve, the first woman, named in the creation story in Genesis. Adam, who is mentioned as the first man, is perhaps the initiator of Poe's wrath and envy. Eve eats from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge and the two are cast out of Heaven. In the aftermath of this Fall, God gives the gift of birth to Eve. Even though it is called a punishment, it is actually a prize. The jealous response of all mankind is to attribute anything that goes badly, any misfortune, any disappointment, any unrealized promise, to woman. This is enough to keep alight man's enmity and envy of woman. Later a new field for psychoanalysis develops: Female Psychology. Women respond with feminist theories as a means of expressing themselves. It is possible to trace this sequence of theoretical developments by observing the female characters in Poe's works. This study aims to explain the terror and psychologic neuroses behind wrathful male authors who, like Poe himself, use female characters as vile manifestations of evil in their works. Explanations are founded on the theories outlined above. Keywords: Adam and Eve, Feminism, womb envy, Edgar Allan Poe's female characters, fear of women, woman in society