Characterization of Poe's Works
Is it possible for a tale of a black bird and a tale of a death sentence to be at all similar? One can clearly find the answer to this question in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Raven". In both stories the narrator goes through mental tortures that effect him greatly. Also each story creates dark, gothic images in an appropriate creepy setting that effect the narrator as well as the reader. These three characteristics that the two stories share are the use of psychological horror, gothic elements, and creepy setting. The first characteristic that these two stories share is the use of psychological horror. An author will use psychological horror to show the reader what a character is going through. It can be defined as the torture or horrors of ones mind by someone or something. In "The Pit and the Pendulum", Poe uses it a couple of times in the part where the man is on the wood table with the pendulum above. He is given a dish of seasoned meat without water, which he usually receives. Not having the pitcher of water is a big problem because the seasoned meat is spicy. This tortures the man because he
The purple drapes on the windows and the bust of Pallas on top of the chamber door both appear in the study. The creepy setting in "The Raven" is the office in which the man is napping. This immediately gets the reader in a scared state. Once again, the reader knows immediately that this story will tell of some form of torment for the main character. The character being in a locked room or small space with no means of escape is repeated throughout "The Pit and the Pendulum". The second shared characteristic in these two stories is the use of Gothic elements. In both stories Poe sets surroundings in clear and distinct ways. Another example of psychological horror in "The Pit and the Pendulum" is when the man notices the slowly descending pendulum above him. The third characteristic is creepy setting. By seeing these common elements in Poe's stories, it is easy to understand how a tale of a black bird and a tale of a death sentence can be similar. Gothic elements can either jump out at the reader or they can be hidden within a sentence. His feeling toward it changed mainly because it wouldn't say anything besides "Nevermore".
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