What was Poe's gambling life like? Did he die in debt? Was he killed because he was in debt? Basically I need to Know everything about his GAMBLING life as possible for school. I need an answer ASAP. Thanx a lot.

P.S. REMEMBER I NEED AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLR, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER INCLUDING YOUR SITE AND I CAN'T FIND ANY INFORMATION. THANX AGAIN.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Answers

He himself criticized his youthful excesses. His gambling(cards?) mainly was a disaster at West Point since he had to get his reluctant stepfather to bail him out. This eventually led to his loss of support for that education and was one element of a growing rift between the two. The tale William Wilson describes some of that early behavior in terms of a story of a nagging doppleganger. It would seem in my reading that Poe confined later gambling to small alehouse wagers and perhaps the more ruinous decisions about his career. Since he was not successful and could ill afford to risk his meager sustenance for his family he did not do much. On a small wager for a book he desperately wanted he typically lost. When he died he was isolated, temporaily impoverished and despairing of plans to get his ambitious magazine started or secure marriage with a wealthy second wife. At that point in his life I don't think it was debt or gambling but a general fraying accompanied by the usual setbacks compounded drastically by the death of his wife. Some controversy as to the cause of his death(see www.eapoe.org on Poe's death).

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2001

You people need to look up your own stuff...even though i just used this website too...bye

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2004

It doesn't really matter he's dead know we all die it's sad.

-- Anonymous, March 03, 2005