# The Death of Edgar Allan Poe explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Edgar Allan Poe. ## What happens This chapter presents a biographical account of Edgar Allan Poe's death and character, contrasting a harsh portrayal by Dr. Rufus W. Griswold with the author's own personal observations. It includes letters from Poe showing his humility and perseverance, and a touching account of the devotion of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Clemm, who cared for him and his invalid wife. The chapter argues that Poe was a man of genius, kindness, and industry when sane, but subject to a moral insanity that reversed his nature. ## Themes in this chapter ### Duality and the Double The chapter opens with the fable of two antagonistic spirits in one body, describing Poe as having both a devil and an angel, and notes that a single glass of wine reversed his nature. ### Death and Mortality The chapter centers on Poe's death, the death of his wife Virginia, and the mortality reflected in his works like 'The Raven' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher.' ### Madness and Psychological Decay Poe is described as walking the streets in madness or melancholy, and his moral insanity is discussed as a key aspect of his character. ## Character check-ins ### Edgar Allan Poe The subject of the chapter; his death, character, and literary genius are discussed, with accounts of his behavior when sane and when morally insane. ### Virginia Clemm Poe's wife, described as a confirmed invalid who died a year and a half before Poe; her illness contributed to the family's poverty. ### Roderick Usher Mentioned as a character from Poe's 'Fall of the House of Usher,' used to illustrate the traces of Poe's personal character in his works. ## Key lines > The ancient fable of two antagonistic spirits imprisoned in one body, equally powerful and having the complete mastery by turns-of one man, that is to say, inhabited by both a devil and an angel seems to have been realized, if all we hear is true, in the character of the extraordinary man whose name we have written above. The old story of two opposing spirits living in one person, each taking control at different times, appears to have come true in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. _Introduces the theme of duality in Poe's nature._ > He was at all times a dreamer dwelling in ideal realms in heaven or hell peopled with the creatures and the accidents of his brain. He was always a dreamer, living in imaginary worlds of heaven or hell filled with the beings and events of his own mind. _Describes Poe's imaginative and otherworldly nature._ > If woman's devotion, born with a first love, and fed with human passion, hallow its object, as it is allowed to do, what does not a devotion like this—pure, disinterested and holy as the watch of an invisible spirit—say for him who inspired it? If a woman's devotion can sanctify its object, then the pure and selfless devotion shown by Mrs. Clemm speaks volumes about Poe's character. _Argues that Mrs. Clemm's loyalty proves Poe's goodness._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters/the-death-of-edgar-allan-poe - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters