"The Raven" stanzas 1-8 has a lot to unpack - but overall, the mood is very mysterious and somber. The narrator is hearing a knock at the door, and at first, is being rational about it. He goes from describing darkness to describing "the raven," who most likely represents a great loss or bad omen. The first 8 stanzas are setting the poem up to be pretty dark and gloomy.
