This story seems to me as a reflection of Poe’s tragedies because he goes through the dead of his mother, adoptive mother and cousin/wife. Also by reading this story, it is easy to notice that Poe didn’t accept those deaths. That’s why, in my opinion, he makes Berenice being buried alive to prove that her dead, as the dead of the women in his life was not fair and a mistake. Egaeus’ life is full of loss and pain. First he mentions that his mother died in the same place where he was born. Her dead meant a lot to him because he kept living in the library where his mother died and he was born. He kept stucked in that place maybe to keep his mother close to him unable to let her memory go. Then when he is older, his cousin and future wife is sick and about to die and again he finds a particular way to keep her with him. This character (Egaeus) caught my attention since the very beginning because we see the story through his eyes, but he is not a reliable narrator because he has a mental illness. He tells the story as he thinks it happened; we don't really know if it is totally true. A point that I believe is important to mention is Berenice’s description, she is just beautiful, nothing else. Poe almost describes her a doll to be admired, not a human being. The narrator even says that he doesn’t love her, he says that Berenice was something unreal, a part of a dream. He only notices her as a person when her beauty fades. He decides to marry her, not because he loves her, but because he pities her, but he even if he doesn’t love her, he is still afraid of losing her. That’s why he takes her teeth after everyone thought her dead. And the fact that he takes Berenice’s teeth out made me wonder why he chose her teeth instead of her hair or eyes, and I realized that the only thing that remained the same about her were her teeth. Her illness deteriorated her, but it let her teeth untouched, so maybe that's why he wanted that part of her so badly. Berenice teeth were a symbol of health, of the person she was before, even of the memories of better and happier times. Egaeus understood that and in his madness decided that he needed the uncorrupted part of her. That was his way of dealing with the pain of losing her too. He was somehow trapped in the past, in the library with the daily reminder of his mother and now with Berenice teeth.
I agree with you in the fact that the story is similar to Poe's life, especially in the issue of incest. Egaeus gets married with his cousin as well as Poe's life. After reading the story, I didn't understand very well why the protagonist gets obsessed with Berenice's teeth; why that part of her body. Now as that you mentionned this point, it's so valid your argument about her teeth as a symbol of health and the only not deteriorated from the illness. Moreover, we need to take into account that Egaeus' mental illness makes him very sensitive to anything, probably to something that we couldn't understand such as teeth obsession.
Yahel's opinion is certainly accurate, after learning about the history of Poe's life it is easy to relate this story with him. Definetely he had a lot of inspiration to create such wonderful literary works. For me it is interesting how Egaeus and Berenice ended up sick because it could be perceived as a form of "punishment" for their sins (the incest) or as a way to reflect the author's inner guilt in the horrible and terrible ending of the story.
Yahel brings up a very important point about the way in which Berenice is described as a doll, thus as a lifeless representation of a woman. Poe's women are all beautiful but they are either dead or close to dying. Sofía comments about the issue of incest, another really important element in Poe's work, and up to a point, in his life. Nadia's comment about both of them being sick as "punishment" is very interesting. It is transmitting the topic of the Sins of the Father in Gothic Lit.
It is interesting to see how Poe uses women in his stories. Women in Poe's stories are always beautiful, but they rarely talk or participate; they are mostly decoration. And at the end of the story, they die. As it happened in Poe's real life. It's sad, but also interesting how his life is reflected in the stories.
It's fascinating put into perspective Poe's life to get a better idea of the inner meaning of this story and others that he had writen, specially because his suffering and losts, as Yahel mentioned, are reflected on them through the plot and characters. As well as Sofia, I didn't get well the reason of his obsession on Berenice's teeth until I read Jahel's comments of these being a symbol of the health of Berenice and the remaining of her vividly being before her sickness.
This story seems to me as a reflection of Poe’s tragedies because he goes through the dead of his mother, adoptive mother and cousin/wife. Also by reading this story, it is easy to notice that Poe didn’t accept those deaths. That’s why, in my opinion, he makes Berenice being buried alive to prove that her dead, as the dead of the women in his life was not fair and a mistake.
ReplyDeleteEgaeus’ life is full of loss and pain. First he mentions that his mother died in the same place where he was born. Her dead meant a lot to him because he kept living in the library where his mother died and he was born. He kept stucked in that place maybe to keep his mother close to him unable to let her memory go. Then when he is older, his cousin and future wife is sick and about to die and again he finds a particular way to keep her with him.
This character (Egaeus) caught my attention since the very beginning because we see the story through his eyes, but he is not a reliable narrator because he has a mental illness. He tells the story as he thinks it happened; we don't really know if it is totally true.
A point that I believe is important to mention is Berenice’s description, she is just beautiful, nothing else. Poe almost describes her a doll to be admired, not a human being. The narrator even says that he doesn’t love her, he says that Berenice was something unreal, a part of a dream. He only notices her as a person when her beauty fades. He decides to marry her, not because he loves her, but because he pities her, but he even if he doesn’t love her, he is still afraid of losing her. That’s why he takes her teeth after everyone thought her dead. And the fact that he takes Berenice’s teeth out made me wonder why he chose her teeth instead of her hair or eyes, and I realized that the only thing that remained the same about her were her teeth. Her illness deteriorated her, but it let her teeth untouched, so maybe that's why he wanted that part of her so badly. Berenice teeth were a symbol of health, of the person she was before, even of the memories of better and happier times. Egaeus understood that and in his madness decided that he needed the uncorrupted part of her. That was his way of dealing with the pain of losing her too. He was somehow trapped in the past, in the library with the daily reminder of his mother and now with Berenice teeth.
I agree with you in the fact that the story is similar to Poe's life, especially in the issue of incest. Egaeus gets married with his cousin as well as Poe's life.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the story, I didn't understand very well why the protagonist gets obsessed with Berenice's teeth; why that part of her body. Now as that you mentionned this point, it's so valid your argument about her teeth as a symbol of health and the only not deteriorated from the illness. Moreover, we need to take into account that Egaeus' mental illness makes him very sensitive to anything, probably to something that we couldn't understand such as teeth obsession.
Yahel's opinion is certainly accurate, after learning about the history of Poe's life it is easy to relate this story with him. Definetely he had a lot of inspiration to create such wonderful literary works. For me it is interesting how Egaeus and Berenice ended up sick because it could be perceived as a form of "punishment" for their sins (the incest) or as a way to reflect the author's inner guilt in the horrible and terrible ending of the story.
ReplyDeleteYahel brings up a very important point about the way in which Berenice is described as a doll, thus as a lifeless representation of a woman. Poe's women are all beautiful but they are either dead or close to dying. Sofía comments about the issue of incest, another really important element in Poe's work, and up to a point, in his life. Nadia's comment about both of them being sick as "punishment" is very interesting. It is transmitting the topic of the Sins of the Father in Gothic Lit.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how Poe uses women in his stories. Women in Poe's stories are always beautiful, but they rarely talk or participate; they are mostly decoration. And at the end of the story, they die. As it happened in Poe's real life. It's sad, but also interesting how his life is reflected in the stories.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating put into perspective Poe's life to get a better idea of the inner meaning of this story and others that he had writen, specially because his suffering and losts, as Yahel mentioned, are reflected on them through the plot and characters. As well as Sofia, I didn't get well the reason of his obsession on Berenice's teeth until I read Jahel's comments of these being a symbol of the health of Berenice and the remaining of her vividly being before her sickness.
ReplyDelete