The speaker represents the rational, intellectual mind attempting to console and stabilize his own emotions. He experiences a deep, ongoing struggle related to racial prejudice that forces him to hide his true feelings behind a metaphorical shroud. Despite the heavy darkness surrounding him, he maintains a realistic perspective and a steadfast belief in Christian providence and the inevitability of a better tomorrow.

The heart is the personified emotional core of the speaker, addressed intimately with the archaic pronoun "thou." It feels overwhelmed by the gross darkness and hindering shrouds of societal prejudice and internal anguish. Rather than thinking rationally, the heart feels the immediate pain of the struggle and requires external guidance to find strength.

The raven is a symbolic presence representing the oppressive, obscuring darkness that surrounds the speaker and the heart. Rooted in literary and mythological history, it embodies death and darkness, as well as the keeping of secrets and the potential for rebirth. Its wings cast a dark shadow over the speaker's current reality, though this presence is ultimately transient.