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Finn Grogono

Avery Watkins

Samantha Woolley

Cooper

AP Lang

12/3/21

The Irrational Mormons and Diminishing Gothic Writers

After the War of 1812, society was never the same, a new era of ideas was on the rise.

Gothic Romance began to heavily influence literature in late 18th century Europe. This form of

art began in the 1640s, known as Medieval, but mainly found its influence in response to the

Romanticism movement. Contrary to the Transcendental Movement, this new era was filled with

ghost stories and supernatural fantasies. Authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne

mixed historical events with fictional ideologies. The motif of irrational vs. rational can be found

in “Go to the Grave” by Nathanial Hawthorne and “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, and in the

historical development of mormonism.

“The Raven” is one of Edgar Allen Poe’s best known pieces. It is often misunderstood,

because it confuses one’s mind on whether or not what he is saying provides a truth. “The

Raven” follows the narrator, a man, mourning the death of his wife, Lenore. One late night, he

hears tapping sounds coming from outside his door, then outside his window. He becomes very

terrified and overthinks the noises, then he opens the window and a raven flies in the room. At

first, the Raven is comforting to him, because it dulls his overthinking. The raven starts repeating

the phrase, “nevermore”, which leads the man to become fixated on the phrase, and increasingly

anxious. Poe’s highly criticized writing suggests that it shows irrationality to its audience. The
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theme of rational and irrational is very important in “The Raven”, because the poem disobeys the

common rules of society and God. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there

wondering, fearing, / Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;” (Poe).

These lines encourage irrational belief, because it brings up supernatural concepts and deeply

explains the process of grief. Which persuades readers to question Christian morals and possibly

another revolution against the government to earn back more individualism. Terms like, “mortal”

(Poe), and “dreaming dreams” (Poe) give strong references to the subconscious mind and death.

The lines reveal how the death of his wife eats up his rational thinking. Society norms are non

inclusive to almost any outside thinking or beliefs other than God’s purpose. This illogical

thinking spooked readers and angered the disciplined, religious folks. However, Poe also alludes

to his own unfamiliarity with the afterlife and the overwhelming, sad emotions. He gives no

answers to why he feels that way or why he is having dreams the way he is, which gives a

glimpse into his own rational thinking.

Another important author in the Antebellum Period was Nathaniel Hawthorne. His poem,

“Go to the Grave” is about death and what goes on after death. It explains how everyone dies and

that there is no way of avoiding being buried in a grave. Hawthorne is not scared to talk about

philosophy and loves to explore the mysteries of humankind. He often does this through

emotions, which makes his writing persuasive. An example of Hawthorne’s unjustifiable sense

is, “The grave to them is but a road, / That leads them to the blest abode.” (Poe). This quote

shows that Christains believe that after one dies there is a “blest abode” (Hawthorne), or heaven,

waiting for them. The term “blest abode” sounds like he is mocking Heaven and finds it amusing

the way Chritstians look forward to going there, so their death seems less upsetting. He also uses

the pronoun “They”, because he is emphasizing that he does not think there is a Heaven or that
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this is what happens after death. This is completely against the majority of 18th century society

norms, because it was shamed upon to question religion and to provide a new sense of reality. It

wasn’t common to think this way and especially publicly pronounce such absurd reasoning.

A historical event that was significant to the Antebellum Period was the creation and

migration of the Mormons. Irrationality vs. rationality was a motif that was heavily present in the

Mormon introduction to culture from the 1830s to 1850s. The Mormons, otherwise known as

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), was created in 1830 and led by a man

named Joseph Smith. Joseph wrote the Book of Mormon and claimed to be chosen by God to

lead the church. The Mormons were settled in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. This was before they

got pushed out for disagreements with their religious beliefs and practices. The Mormons

presented the phenomenon of irrationality because they changed religion significantly in many

ways. Joseph Smith being the prophet who was a live person at the time ,was something no one

had ever seen before. Momons also went outside of society's rules with polygamous

relationships. Other religions didn’t like this because they saw it as unnatural and against God.

These tensions became so intense that in 1844 Joseph Smith was murdered. Shortly after, the

Mormons traveled across the Mississippi River in search of a new place to live. Mormons were

frowned upon because of their changes to traditional Christianity, and how deeply they believed

in it. It was irrational and came at a time when no one was expecting it. However, the argument

of irrationality holds a bit of irony when looking at the fundamental structure behind Mormon

culture. LDS actually took societal expectations and stereotypes a step further. The Mormons had

no real priests. The role of “priest” was acceptable from any white man with a strong faith. No

women or anyone of color was allowed to play a part. Instead women were able to attain their

minimal power and respect from the role of their husbands in the church. Women were often
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married into a polygamic relationship, sharing a husband with another woman. It was often

expected for these women to bear ten or more children over the course of their marriage, because

having babies was their purpose and their duty in Mormon life.

The creative piece combines elements of Gothic style literature and the lives of Mormons

in the 1800s. It’s interview style, featuring three Mormons sharing their experience and

challenges with being a part of a taboo religion. The piece also explains the history of the

Mormons migration. The artifact connects to the motif of irrational vs. rational, because the

Mormom’s answers provide evidence of their irrational lifestyle. For example, there is talk of the

polygamic relationships in their community and the amount of children they have. The Mormom

man, Gideon, gives insight to an example of how there are parts of their faith that reflect logical

reasoning. He explains that an important part of his everyday life is attending church, which is

similar to the societal standards. The video expresses Gothic style literature through its black and

white filter, proposing the darkness and fright Poe describes in “The Raven”.
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