Poe did just as he was told (Tilton 25-26).
Poe made his way to Boston, where he planned on continuing his literary career. He was homeless, starving, and found nothing but dead-end jobs. He decided to enlist himself in the army, under the name of Edgar A. Perry. Although he had a great amount of success serving in the army, it did not prove to be much joy to him. John decided helped Poe attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. Due to his own dissatisfaction, Poe intentionally neglected his duties and left West Point (Tilton 35). Two years later, he received news that his foster mother was dying of tuberculosis. Frances' death took a major toll on Poe, because it would be the second person, whom he loved, that passed away. He was once again left behind by two mothers and rejected by two fathers. He continued his search for affection, as he moved to his aunt Maria's house in Richmond. There he received the love that he was so long denied. In 1835, he left his aunt's home to become an editor for the Southern Literary Messenger. With his astounding stories and straightforward book reviews, Poe helped to make the Messenger popular in the south (Poe Museum). He became a "cutthroat critic, writing vicious reviews of his contemporaries". This aspect of his personality caused him trouble with his superiors (Bio.com). Poe also attacked many famous writers in the country at the time, one being Rufus Griswold (Poe Museum). .
Upon learning that John Allan was dying, Poe made one final attempt to reconcile with his foster father. Sadly, his efforts failed. A few weeks later, John Allan died. Poe was not mentioned at all in his will and was left without any inheritance. Poe had to accept that he was on his own financially (Tilton, 40-41). In the same year, he got married to his first cousin, Virginia. They had a secret marriage, because Virginia was only thirteen years of age. Since their relationship was developing quickly, Maria Clemm took Poe to the courthouse and lied to the magistrate about Virginia's age.
