The Raven Character Analysis

her transition from Evvie to Celestina, a transition not only physical but also metaphorical. Raven confesses, “[A]nd all the while I was waiting for the mask to slip, the muscles to slacken, a dullness to overcome her features. But of course it never did” (TMS 212). Evvie’s transformation of herself was her means of existence in a hastily shifting postcolonial America. But quite contrary to her, Raven reconnects with his roots as he craves for the power that comes with being indigenous, a connection to the history of the land, and thus unmasks his magical self to the world.
Like his mythical predecessors, Raven also enjoys “the black side of the life of power” (TMS 250). He gets into fights and discovers that he enjoys the frenzy (TMS 216). …show more content…
She exclaims, “Inside I’m thinking, I’m sure I locked the door. I’m sure I-. And, Who is this man who can enter despite …” (TMS 108). The lonely American Raven is young, handsome, attractive, and a charmer like the Native American trickster figure. As Tilo calls him: “Playboy Raven, my American of the party scene” (TMS 287). Like the trickster of Native lore, Raven has seduction written all over his face. Tilo falls for his “silver-edged seductive cloud-smile upon which I could float away so easily and never return” (TMS 110). To draw a parallel, Raven resembles the very attractive Krishna of Krishna Leela; Krishna is both a trickster as well as a seductive lover known for his love and romance with Radha, Kubja, the Gopis and his sixteen hundred other wives. Not only women, but even animals would fall for Krishna’s charm. In Vrindavan, Krishna would look after the cattle and play flute to keep the flock together. The Gopis, too, would gather around him drawn by the enchanting tunes from his flute. Krishna, being a seductive charmer, charms the Gopis of Vrindavan. Krishna’s Raas Leela or the ‘sacred mating’ with Gopis makes his beloved Radha jealous. On a similar note, in the text The Mistress of Spices, Tilo is jealous and insecure by the “bougainvillea girls” (TMS 254) when Raven charms these young Indian women who come as customers to Tilo’s store. Tilo notices the attention Raven gets from them. Tilo is green with envy as she finds Raven enjoying the tête-à-tête with the “bougainvillea girls” (TMS 254). She promises herself to make Raven blissful by bequeathing love on him that he would be filled with it, so much so that he would not desire any other woman but her. She