17 pages • 34 minutes read
Edgar Allan PoeThe Lake
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1827A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Water
The lake is made up of water, which is a force of nature. The motif of water develops the theme of The Beauty of Nature. Nature’s beauty, in part, is due to its power. The lake’s waves being described as “poisonous” (Line 18) illustrates how they have the power to kill. Poison is often a liquid, developing the watery imagery. The gulf, or trough, of a wave is also described in deadly terms, as a “fitting grave” (Line 19). This comparison highlights how the bottom of a wave is like the hole in the earth that is created for a burial. Both the crests and troughs of the lake are dangerous. The deadly water of the lake also develops the theme of Hauntology and the Supernatural.
Wind
Another force of nature that appears in the poem is the wind. The wind, like the water, develops the theme of The Beauty of Nature. However, unlike the water, the wind is described in less deadly terms. The wind is “[m]urmuring in melody” (Line 10). The wind’s beauty comes from its sound, or musicality. Murmuring produces a low volume, indicating here that the wind is quiet or gentle. This musical nature is less threatening than the wave’s trough being described as a grave. However, the wind also develops the theme of Hauntings and the Supernatural through the adjective that precedes it. Poe calls it a “mystic wind” (Line 9). The quality of being mystical refers to being part of occult, or spiritual, practices. Like the unknown depths of the dark, nighttime lake, the wind is a mysterious power.
Earth
Another element that alludes to The Beauty of Nature in the poem is earth. This element is seen in the “black rock” (Line 5) that surrounds the lake. The blackness, or darkness, of the rock mirrors the “dim lake” (Line 23), or the darkness of the water. Editor T. O. Mabbott believed the rocks to be wet driftwood—another part of the element of earth. Either made of rocks or wood, the dark earth combines with the dark water to create Gothic imagery. Rather than bright beauty, the Gothic aesthetic includes lots of black and dim colors.
Poe also looks underground, where rocks become precious gemstones. The “jewelled mine” (Line 15) symbolizes wealth and money. The poem argues for the untouched beauty of nature, such as looking at a lake, over pillaging the earth for wealth, such as in mining.
Related Titles
By Edgar Allan Poe
