Poe's life was filled with sorrow.  His unhappy life began on January 19, 1809 in Boston.  His father, David Poe, deserted his wife and infant son.  His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was an actress that faced an untimely death.  Therefore, Edgar Allan Poe, was an orphan taken in by the Allan family.  John Allan, the prosperous head of the family, became somewhat of a father to Poe.  However, Poe could never be the man for whom his step-father wished; upon, Allan's death, he left Poe nothing.  This upset Poe because he was quite poor and desperate for financial help.

Mrs. Elizabeth Arnold Poe
Retrieved April 17, 2004 from:http://www.poemuseum.org/images/elizabeth.jpg

Mr. John Allan
Retrieved April 18, 2004 from www.eapoe.org/people/ allnjo01.htm

Poe visited his aunt, Mrs. Maria Poe Clemm, from 1831 to 1835 in Baltimore.  During this time, he was a hack writer to help ease his financial woes.  However, Poe found more than work in Baltimore--he found a chance for love.  That love would come in the form of his cousin, Miss Virginia Clemm.  According to a brief biography of Poe in a collection of American literature entitled, The American Tradition in Literature (volume one), "In September 1835, Poe secretly married his cousin, Virginia Clemm; the ceremony was repeated publicly in Richmond eight months later, when Virginia was not quite fourteen" (1237).

Mrs. Maria Poe Clemm
Retrieved April 17, 2004 from:  www.americasstory.com/jb/nation/ jb_nation_poe_2_e.html

Mrs. Virginia Clemm Poe
Retrieved April 16, 2004  from:  www.puppenart.de/ AllScale1.html
 

Poe found fame for several notorious pieces, including "The Raven" and "The Gold Bug."  However, he was plagued with poverty and a dying wife.  It seemed all of those held dear to Poe's heart would die an untimely death.  Virginia Poe died from Tuberculosis a few months after a poverty-stricken Poe bought a cottage in Fordham, a part of New York City.
 

Poe's death is full of suspense similar to his life.  The previous source states, "In 1849, learning that Sarah Elmira Royster, his childhood sweetheart, was a widow, he visited Richmond and secured her consent to marry him" (1849).  But, that marriage would never take place.  Several days after the vow to marry, Poe traveled to Philadelphia on business.  He would never return to Richmond.  Instead, he was found delirious outside a Baltimore tavern.  On October 7, 1849, Poe spoke his last words, "Lord, help my poor soul" (Hickey 1).  Then, he died.

Mr. Edgar Allan Poe (?)
Retrieved April 16, 2004  from:  home.att.net/~amuseinc/ deadpoe.html
 

Edgar Allan Poe's Grave
Retrieved April 20, 2004 from: http://www.duf.net/jp/images/PoesGrave.JPG

What drove Poe to write about suspense and mystery?  In my opinion, his life lead him down a road of morbid writings.  He watched his family die--one by one.  He was poor, desperate, and an emotional wreck.  His death finalized his legacy.  Poe, as mentioned earlier, loved puzzles.  Perhaps, this love helped him find a release from the world's troubles.  Nevertheless, puzzles are appropriate similes for Poe's life and many of his works.
 
 

Works Cited:

Hickey, Darby. "Death in Baltimore." 16 Oct. 1997.  News-Letter.  20 Apr. 2003 <http://www.jhu.edu/~newslett/10-16-97/Features/2.html.com>.

Perkins, George and Barbara., ed.  The American Tradition in Literature.  New York:  McGraw-Hill College, 1999.