![]() ![]() This is what makes the Imp so perverse-the narrator’s own evil nature inspired him to commit murder, but the Imp causes him to destroy himself. Instead, the narrator’s own greed and seemingly psychopathic lack of empathy lead to his crime these are human traits, but not ones that the narrator sees as “imps.” The Imp, meanwhile, is what pushes him to confess. The Imp seems like it would drive the narrator to commit evil acts, but it’s not actually the Imp that makes the narrator murder his victim. The Imp of the Perverse represents Poe’s genuine examination of a human psychological quirk-similar to what Sigmund Freud would call the “death drive” almost a century later-but with a twist. Rather, it’s the spirit of self-destructive impulse: the being that whispers in the ear of someone standing on the edge of a cliff and urges them to jump. ![]() The Imp (an imp is traditionally a kind of small demon) doesn’t actually exist in the story. ![]() In the story, the Imp of the Perverse symbolizes human impulses that are irrational, harmful, and seemingly inexplicable. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |