In the poem Porphyria’s Lover, by Robert Browning, I believe that the central theme is obsession. Throughout the poem, the narrator has what I believe to be an unhealthy obsession with a woman named Porphyria. The lover’s twisted and warped idea of love ultimately leads to Porphyria’s, and possibly his own, death. For starters, I could detect right off the bat that the love that the lover held for Porphyria was unhealthy. You can see this without reading the poem and by simply reading the title. I believe that the author, Robert Browning, named the poem the way he did on purpose. The fact that the poem is named Porphyria’s Lover gives off the vibe that the lover is struggling with his identity outside of his love for Porphyria. When a person
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However, Browning uses connotations, or emotional associations, with the weather to portray the obsession’s impact. I perceive rain in poems to symbolize sadness. I think that Browning wanted us to get the fact that the obsession with Porphyria was unsettling to the lover and making him upset. Additionally, the wind tearing down the trees spitefully gives off an angry vibe. Obsessions and anger never bode well together and I already sensed something bad was going to happen just within the context of the weather, which on Browning’s part was definitely on …show more content…
This is because Browning states in lines seven through eight that Porphyria “shut the cold out” and made “the cottage warm.” All I can picture in this scene is the narrator sitting all alone in a dark cabin with no lights on and the windows all open allowing the rain and cold inside. No one in any sane state of mind would sit by themselves in the dark and cold. To further prove the fact that I believe there is something mentally wrong with the lover, it struck me odd when Porphyria called to him and he did not answer her back in line fifteen. This makes him seem like he doesn’t have a strong grip on reality and, as such, makes him come off as catatonic or desensitized to the world. This reiterates the fact that his obsession with Porphyria is unhealthy because of how strong this obsession affects his state of mind and sense of
However, Browning uses connotations, or emotional associations, with the weather to portray the obsession’s impact. I perceive rain in poems to symbolize sadness. I think that Browning wanted us to get the fact that the obsession with Porphyria was unsettling to the lover and making him upset. Additionally, the wind tearing down the trees spitefully gives off an angry vibe. Obsessions and anger never bode well together and I already sensed something bad was going to happen just within the context of the weather, which on Browning’s part was definitely on …show more content…
This is because Browning states in lines seven through eight that Porphyria “shut the cold out” and made “the cottage warm.” All I can picture in this scene is the narrator sitting all alone in a dark cabin with no lights on and the windows all open allowing the rain and cold inside. No one in any sane state of mind would sit by themselves in the dark and cold. To further prove the fact that I believe there is something mentally wrong with the lover, it struck me odd when Porphyria called to him and he did not answer her back in line fifteen. This makes him seem like he doesn’t have a strong grip on reality and, as such, makes him come off as catatonic or desensitized to the world. This reiterates the fact that his obsession with Porphyria is unhealthy because of how strong this obsession affects his state of mind and sense of