The Imp of the Perverse (short story)

Infobox short story |
name = The Imp of the Perverse
title_orig =
translator =
author = Edgar Allan Poe
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Short story
published_in = "Graham's Magazine"
publisher =
media_type =
pub_date = July 1845
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Imp of the Perverse" is a short story that begins as an essay written by 19th century American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe. It discusses the narrator's self-destructive impulses, embodied as the Imp of the Perverse. The narrator describes this spirit as the agent that tempts a person to do things "merely because we feel we should "not"."

Plot summary

The plot of the story, which comprises less than half the text, is about a man who murders a man to inherit his wealth. The murder and its planning are not described in much detail (in contrast to, for example, "The Tell-Tale Heart"). Essentially, the narrator has killed a man using a candle that emits a poisonous vapor into the man's poorly-ventilated room while reading in bed. The murder leaves no evidence of the true cause of death, and the coroner decrees it "Death by the visitation of God." The narrator's relationship to the man is not revealed, though the narrator inherits his wealth upon the man's death.

He remains unsuspected for many years, occasionally reassuring himself by repeating under his breath, "I am safe." One day, he says to himself that he will remain safe unless he is foolish enough to openly confess. In saying so, however, he begins to question if he is capable of confessing. He fearfully runs through the streets, arousing suspicion. When finally stopped, he feels struck by some "invisible fiend." He reveals his secret with "distinct enunciation," though in such a hurry as if afraid of being interrupted. He is quickly tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hangman.

The Imp of the Perverse

Poe spends the majority of the text introducing his theory of "The Imp of the Perverse," though it is unclear if he created the term or not. Through the voice of his unnamed narrator, Poe describes perverseness as a sort of primitive sentiment overlooked by phrenology and moralists. It is a sense without motive, he says, that causes a person to behave in a way that they should not. For example:

Analysis

"The Imp of the Perverse" is less about plot and more about theory. It has been suggested that Poe wrote it to justify his own actions of self-torment and self-destruction. [cite book | title=Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy | last=Meyers | first=Jeffrey | authorlink=Jeffrey Meyers | publisher=Cooper Square Press | location=New York | edition=Paperback ed. | date=1992 | pages=58 | id=ISBN 0815410387 ] Poe's theory of the Imp of the Perverse may also be an early notion of the subconscious and repression which would not be fully theorized until Sigmund Freud. [cite book | title=Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe | last=Hoffman | first=Daniel | authorlink=Daniel Hoffman | publisher=Louisiana State University Press | location=Baton Rouge, La. | edition=Paperback ed. | date=1998 | pages=12 | id=ISBN 0807123218 ]

Many of Poe's characters display a failure to resist the Imp of the Perverse - including the murderer in "The Black Cat." [cite book | title=Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy | last=Meyers | first=Jeffrey | authorlink=Jeffrey Meyers | publisher=Cooper Square Press | location=New York | edition=Paperback ed. | date=1992 | pages=58 | id=ISBN 0815410387 ]

Publication History

"The Imp of the Perverse" was first published in the July 1845 issue of "Graham's Magazine".

References