30 pages 1 hour read

Edgar Allan Poe

The Man of the Crowd

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1840

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Essay Topics

1.

Analyze the significance of the old man’s refusal to engage with others or participate in social activities. What does his behavior imply about city life, and how does it influence the story’s themes?

2.

Discuss the topic of obsession in the story. How does the narrator’s obsession with the old man expose the darker side of human nature?

3.

Consider the unreliable nature of the narrator’s perceptions. What potential limitations and biases could influence his interpretations? How do these limitations and biases reflect the complexity of his character?