The Secret Revealed

The Secret Revealed

Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be an ingenious American writer of poems and short stories. Poe's brilliance and innovative literary works are distinctly illustrated in their popularity, and are often associated with his major tales such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Black Cat." For many years, most critics have overlooked the significant importance of a less popular tale, "The Man of the Crowd." Unlike "The Black Cat", there is no murder, no sensational horror, no supernatural thrill. Rather, the dramatic question that the story asks, "who is that man?", is never answered. The main character of "Man of the Crowd", however, merits our attention for he shares elements of Poe's own life and the tribulations he may have experienced as an alcoholic. Many of Poe's stories have focused on wild an unusual events. What makes the "Man of the Crowd" different is that it focuses on an ordinary problem in many people's lives: drug addiction.

There are critics who voice caution about comparing Poe to his narrators. Martha Wormack, the author of a Web page dedicated to Poe's work, writes, "it is a common error for readers to confuse Poe's narrators with Poe himself." However, Poe himself once claimed, "the supposition that the book of an author is a thing apart from the author's self, is, I think, ill founded" (Asselineau 418). At least in reference to his own work, Poe's comment may be a reliable guide. Writers fundamentally seek inspiration from within themselves and so what it written on paper often reflects the most intimate thoughts, emotions, and perhaps, deep psychological fears experienced by the author. Poe's story, "The Man of Crowd," demonstrates how Poe's use of alcohol is the dark secret around which the entire plot revolves.

Poe's story centers on a problem of observation, beginning and concluding with the warning: "there are some dark secrets which do not permit themselves to be told" (Poe 179). The plot is about a man who chases after a mysterious old man in a crowd. The narrator decides to follow this mysterious figure throughout the streets of London in the hope of discovering more about him. His pursuit lasts two days. Eventually, the old man ends up at a saloon, where his eyes begin to blaze with frenzy. But at the end of the story, the narrator gives up and decides that there is nothing else that can be found out about the man. He decides he already knows enough about the old man and there is nothing else to be revealed. The bizarre twist of the story is that the narrator's mind is really the centerpiece of the story and that what he thinks he sees in the old man is really a reflection of himself.

The old man's apparent obsession with alcohol is interesting, given the circumstances of Poe's own life. Many of Poe's biographers have established that poe's biological father and brother were known to be "hardcore drinkers" (Wormack). They both were acknowledged alcoholics. Poe himself admitted he had problems with alcohol. In a letter written to Dr. J. Evans Snodgrass in 1841, Poe writes, "it is now quite 4 years since I have abandoned every kind of alcoholic drink---four years with the exception of a single deviation [. . .] when I was induced to resort to the occasional use of cider with the hope of relieving a nervous attack" (Wormack).

Modern medical research has improved our knowledge and understanding of the dangers associated with alcohol consumption. The impact on the human brain and body demonstrates that alcoholism is hereditary. A person can develop a psychological and physical dependency. The withdrawal effects produce periods of hallucination. The symptoms sometimes prove to be fatal. Although Poe may not have drunk as much as many of the biographers have alleged, he clearly had a problem with the substance and was aware of it.

Thus, Poe suffered the agonies of detoxification, one of which was the guilt he experienced after a period of binging. Poe's feelings are expressed in a letter to Maria Clemm in July of 1849 where he wrote: "I have not drank anything since Friday morning and then only a little port wine. If possible, dearest mother, I will extricate myself from this difficulty for your dear, dear sake" (Wormack). Poe's statement is a typical reaction from one who has an addictive personality disorder. Poe promises to refrain from alcohol, but the tone of his letter suggests that it is very difficult for him

With Poe's alcoholism in mind, it is not difficult to take this concept one step further and connect it to the "Man of the Crowd." The narrator is captivated and intrigued by the sudden appearance of a "decrepid old man" (180). He wanders throughout the city without purpose, aimlessly, in search of something, "lost in thought," and yet, walking with great agitation (186). When the old man comes to a bar, his entire expression lights up:

the spirit of the old man [. . .] flickered up [. . .] Suddenly [. . .] a blaze of light burst upon our sight, and we stood before the huge suburban temples of Intemperance--one of the palaces of the fiend, Gin. (187)

The reaction of the man is equivalent to a child confronted with the prospect of entering candy land. The narrator does not say why the man's expression changes, but the text suggests that "Gin" may have something to do with it. Although the narrator describes this scene with very dramatic vocabulary, he doesn't dwell on its significance.

One of the most peculiar aspects of the story is the relationship between the narrator and the old man. The narrator notices the dingy torn apparel of the old man, but he also sees that his linen, "although dirty, was of beautiful texture" (184). The narrator observes a dagger and a diamond within the old man's coat. Apparently, the old man has fallen on hard times. The diamond is significant because it suggests exposure to wealth and prestige. The dagger is acknowledgment of the dangers related to the indulgence