Return From the Dead: Ligeia
The word ambiguous describes that which is capable of two or more contradictory meanings. This word perfectly portrays the Poe story Ligeia in a nutshell. Throughout the text the reader is expected to interpret the story and make distinctions between which of the two possible meanings is in all actuality the "true" reading. But unbeknownst to a vast majority of the scholars who attempt to interpret and analyze the text, both of the conclusions to which the reader can venture are relevant. The author wants to lead the reader astray and therefore uses as much evidence as possible to make the multiple angles from which the reader can view the text as "correct". What many do not pick up on is the fact that no amount of evidence from either of the viewpoints out weighs that of the other. Some may believe the narrator only wished Ligeia would return so he completely imagined the events contained throughout the story. While other readers may believe that......
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Approximate Word Count: 893
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |