Analyzing a Descent into Maelström as an Allegory

INTRODUCTION TO THE WESTERN THOUGHT II

16 April 2018

Assist. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Asya Altuğ                                      Ziya Pehlivan 07170001102

           
        ANALYZING A DESCENT INTO MAELSTRÖM AS AN ALLEGORY

        Edgar Allen Poe is a famous author known for his gothic horror style. In his works he always uses the elements like suspense, mystery, anonymity and supernatural events. In addition, he shows us the darker side of humanity and tries to bring the light inside this darkness. In one of his famous works “A Descent Into Maelström” nature is the main topic with landscape, sea and the whirlpool. The Maelström holds balance between opposite forces such as the dangerous and the peaceful characteristics of the nature. In this paper the Maelström is analyzed in three aspects; Romanticism, Hegel’s Absolute Spirit and the notion of God.

        First of all, German Romantic landscape painter Casper David Friedrich’s paintings such as White Cliffs of Ruegen and Wanderer above the Sea of Fog have similarities to the landscapes which are depicted in Poe’s Maelström short story. The White Cliffs of Ruegen pictures the view of the narrator about the sea after reaching the summit of Mount Helseggen in Norway. His technique shows very similar ideas with the story and also illustrates the stages of life in his paintings. Poe tells the story of the landscapes similarly to Friedrich’s paintings. Both of them have the traces of Romanticism existence, immortality and beauty. The only difference between them is that one uses pencils while the other one uses brushes and paints to transmit these ideas.

       In the Romantic perspective, ideas are more artistic. Romanticists believe in artistic way and that comes with creative intelligence. They go beyond the physics in their self-journey. They experience things that are over soul and man-centered. The Oldest Brother’s survival in the Maelström symbolizes that he used his creativity as romanticists and reached the top which is over soul. Thus he survived, in other words his knowledge became wisdom. The Oldest Brother says “My hair, which had been raven-black the day before, was as white as you can see it now” as an example of transition from knowledge to wisdom. The things he experienced in a day made him to reach top which is over soul and which is wisdom. Also, Romanticism doesn't approve the idea of death, that is why, the Oldest Brother is not afraid of  death when he faces it. Instead of fearing the death he breaks himself completely free to the whirlpool by saying “how magnificent a thing it is to die in such a manner” by glorifying the nature as most romanticists do.

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Second important idea is about Hegel's Absolute Spirit. It is dialectical and it is about a journey from consciousness to wisdom. It has three important steps. The first step is that the spirit only knows itself and starts to feel; when it feels, it becomes a subject itself. Then it realizes the other spirits that can feel and becomes an objective state. And the last step is that it combines art as thesis, religion as anti-thesis and philosophy as synthesis. In Maelström, the protagonist is just a fisherman who deals with the material life. In the following pages he with his fisherman brothers faces a fierce storm which brings them to the Moskoe-strom which is a huge whirlpool. Eventually, they find themselves in the whirlpool and the Oldest Brother fears from death so much at first but then he faces with the fact that he will die soon; he becomes curious about the Maelström and starts to look around. In this example, he starts to get three important steps from consciousness to wisdom. After all he gets closer and closer to complete his journey.

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