The poem begins with the narrator, a grieving man, sitting alone in his chamber on a dreary December night. He is lost in thoughts of his lost love, Lenore. This sets the somber and introspective tone.
The arrival of the raven, "a sable bird of yore," dramatically disrupts this quiet contemplation. The raven's presence and its ominous pronouncements immediately raise the stakes and set the poem's central conflict in motion.
Specifically, the raven's arrival is the inciting incident for the following reasons:
* It disrupts the status quo: The narrator was already deeply troubled, but the raven's entrance introduces a new and unexpected element into his life.
* It raises questions and anxieties: The raven's ominous presence and cryptic pronouncements immediately cause the narrator to question his sanity and the possibility of finding solace in the afterlife.
* It drives the narrative forward: The raven's presence becomes the catalyst for the narrator's escalating paranoia and obsessive questioning of the bird. This interaction fuels the poem's dramatic tension and drives the narrative towards its tragic conclusion.
Therefore, the arrival of the raven is the crucial turning point that sets the poem's central conflict in motion and determines its course.