Question

When the speaker in edgar allen poes "the raven" hears tapping on his door, he hesitates. why does he wait before opening the door?

he pauses to listen for voices
he wants to turn on the light
he decides to look out the window
he needs to gather his courage

Answer 1

i'm not entirely sure, but i read it carefully and i think the stanzas that said ''..long I stood there wondering, fearing..'' and ''..filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating..'' make it sound like he is nervous and needs to gather his courage