Poe's Theory of Evolution

Edgar Allen Poe’s Personal Notes

“I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active—not more happy—not more wise then he was 6000 years ago”

            This is undoubtedly one of my favourite quotes. The way Poe puts his words together is so unique and very enticing, you cannot help but read his works. He hits it dead on where he believes that mankind has not changed in six millennia; they are still barbaric in many ways. Poe most likely developed his feelings of hatred towards man due to the way that his foster father and ‘family’ treated him. He hates on man as he feels that his foster father mistreated and showed no love for him, acting in a barbaric way the way that he felt cavemen behaved six thousand years ago. Although in this quote he never states why he has this hate and feeling of remorse towards the human race, it illustrates his childhood pain, and how he was emotionally neglected, hence Poe showing his hatred towards man. It also symbolizes how a man who was never shown love or care growing up ends up behaving different than the regular person would behave. Poe shows such hate in his words due to his past, and perfectly reveals it in his gothic stories. He does not try to; it just comes out in his writing voice. Only a man, who hates on life, would even think of hating on mankind. For who would detest on their own species?