A Man of Many Faces
Edgar Allan Poe was known for his writings in literature during the Romanticism era. Poe shows great symbolism and Romanticism in his two short stories, “The Black Cat” and “The Masque of the Red Death”. Poe wrote in diverse types of Romanticism in these two litterateurs; “The Black Cat” is a battle inside himself with his feelings on slavery, and “The Masque of the Red Death” is more of the spiritual thoughts of escaping one's true faith.
Poe's concept of “The Black Cat” is a representation of a man's battle between wickedness, good vs evil, slavery, and moral corruption. The black cat named Pluto is a symbol of a black slave who is tortured even when he is obedient and loyal to his master. For example, Poe writes “One
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morning, in cold blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;--hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart;--hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense;--hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin-- a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it.” (Poe 697). His wife is the good/light in the wickedness/darkness within his mortal soul Poe says, “Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.” (Poe 699). Poe's guilty conscience haunted him from the spot he had created on his soul caused him to bury the “Monstrous Cat” with his deceased wife behind the wall of the cellar stated on page 701, “I had walled the monster up within the tomb!” (Poe 701). “The Masque of the Red Death” uses a variety of symbolism with Romanticism in this piece of literature written by Edgar Allan Poe.
The seven different rooms in the house signify the seven deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, Wrath, Greed, and Envy) with the various colors (blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and black) moving from east to west (sunrise to sunset)as stated by Poe, “That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue—and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple… The third was in green… The fourth was furnished and litten with orange—The fifth with white-- the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries...” (Poe 688). The party being a masquerade is basically hiding behind the mask trying to escape death being symbolic in the following statement, “…the movable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fête, and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the costumes of the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm--much of what has been since seen in “Hernani.” (Poe 689). This all leads to the “Herod” (Poe 690) which is symbolized as a plague that kills Prince Prospero and his guests, “And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.” (Poe …show more content…
691). “The Black Cat” and “The Masque of the Red Death” are literature that brings life to the horrible truth of everyday temptations and obstacles that one struggles with physically and/or mentally.
Poe's writings capture these moments by bringing these ideas/concepts to life expressing different struggles using symbolism with romanticism to create a gothic persona over American literature. Edgar Allan Poe's writings are created to find a piece of yourself within the short stories, and for pleasure, while also experiencing the terrible truths from a man with many faces.
Works Cited
ChurchPOP Editor. 2016. "How to Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins, in One Infographic." ChurchPOP. Feburary 27. Accessed March 27, 2018. https://churchpop.com/2016/02/27/7-deadly-sins-infographic/.
Phillips, Suzanne. 2008. "Symbolism and Poe." Owlcation. January 17. Accessed March 27, 2018. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Symbolism-and-Poe.
Poe, Edgar Allen. 2012. " The Black Cat". Vol. B, in The Noton Anthology Of American Literature, by Gen. Ed. Nina Baym, 695-701. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. Accessed March 18, 2018.
Poe, Edgar Allen. 2012. "The Masque of the Red Death". Vol. B, in The Noton Anthology Of American Literature, by Gen. Ed. Nina Baym, 687-691. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Accessed March 27, 2018.
Rhoon, Mat Van. 2010. Youtube. April 17. Accessed March 25, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv2qL-LRBag.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF8TSsQOKq0&t=377s.
Edgar Allen Poe is known for his dark yet comedic approach toward the his theme of his stories. Likewise, Poe’s themes have gathered many fans due to his impression of reasoning in his stories. The author uses thinking and reasoning to portray the theme. Poe’s unique diction comprehends with the theme of the story. Poe has a brilliant way of taking gothic tales of mystery, and terror, and mixing them with variations of a romantic tale by shifting emphasis from, surface suspense and plot pattern to his symbolic play in language and various meanings of words.
Authors use various styles to tell their stories in order to appeal to the masses exceptionally well and pass the message across. These messages can be communicated through short stories, novels, poems, songs and other forms of literature. Through The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven, it is incredibly easy to get an understanding of Edgar Allen Poe as an author. Both works describe events that are melodramatic, evil and strange. It is also pertinent to appreciate the fact that strange plots and eerie atmospheres are considerably evident in the author’s writings. This paper compares and contrasts The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven and proves that the fear of uncertainty and death informs Edgar Allen Poe’s writings in the two works
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Masque of the Red Death” Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing. ED. Edgar V Roberts and Robert Zweig. Boston, Longman: 2012. 516-519.
“The Masque of the Red Death” is a short tale about a king who rules a dominion plagued with a disease called the red death. The Prince decides to build a fortress that will hold many of his closest friends and relatives and keep the disease out. The castle in which the Prince and all of his closest friends are inside of, is a magnificent fortress that is lavish and decorated with a variety of colors for each apartment. Poe explains, “That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue—and vividly blue were its windows.” In this quote, the use of imagery describes the first of seven apartments that hold guests for balls and entertainment. In addition, the last of the seven apartments described is a black room that in itself symbolizes the red death. In this room stands a clock that clangs every hour and when the clock begins to clang. Everything in the fortress seems to stop while the clock clangs. Poe describes the clocks clang very vividly, to set the mood of the seventh room and what it is like. Poe states “Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang.” This example of imagery uses the hearing sense, and it helps the reader understand the mood of the room. Poe wants this room to be creepy, dark, and scary and conveys that clearly through the use of
Introduced by tragedies early in his life, Edgar Allan Poe became one of the most successful writers, poets, and storytellers to ever live. Edgar Allan Poe had the intelligence to do anything he wanted to do, however, the pain of losing his loved ones always seemed to drive him towards a pen and paper. His emotions never failed to show through his writings, which helped the story line touch the readers. Poe became very close to several different women but each would die shortly after he came to love them. This only pushed him to write more emotionally. Poe had a natural talent for putting his real life experiences into a fictional story and making it seem as if it were really happening.
Throughout the short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses vivid symbolism, structure, and reoccurring details to paint a powerful image regarding the finality and inescapable reaches of death itself. “The ‘Red Death’ has long devastated the country,” yet the Prince Prospero continues to hold extravagant parties for his fellow elite members of society. Rather than merely telling a series of events, Poe carries his readers throughout the many rooms and scenes that hold the Prince’s masquerade, up until the clock strikes midnight and the partygoers can no longer hide behind their façade, and death comes in to take those that thought themselves invincible (Poe 438-442).
The. Poe, Edgar A. & Co. “The Black Cat.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed.
This short story easily achieved the effect that Poe was looking for through the use of description of setting, symbolism, plot development, diverse word choice, and detailed character development. In most cases, the setting is usually indelible to a story, but “The Black Cat” relies little on this element. This tale could have occurred anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of “The Black Cat.”
Gargano, James W. “’The Black Cat’: Perverseness Reconsidered.” Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe’s Tales. Ed. William L. Howarth. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1971. 87-94. Print.
“Black Cat” is about a narrator and his tribulations with animals, cats in particular with this work. The short story starts out with the narrator telling
The presence of the two cats in the tale allows the narrator to see himself for who he truly is. In the beginning the narrator explains that his “tenderness of heart made him the jest of his companions”. (251) He also speaks of his love for animals that has remained with him from childhood into manhood. However, Poe contradicts this description of the narrator when he seems to become annoyed with the cat that he claims to love so much. While under the influence of alcohol the narrator is “fancied that the cat avoided his presence”(250) and as a result decides to brutally attack the cat. This black cat symbolizes the cruelty received by slaves from whites. The narrator not only “deliberately cuts one of the cats eyes from the sockets” (250) but he also goes on to hang the cat. Once the narrator successfully hangs the cat the tale begins to take a very dark and gothic-like turn. The racism and guilt of the narrator continues to haunt him once he has killed the black cat. Th...
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Black Cat." Leonard, George McMichael and James S. Concise Anthology of American Literature. Pearson Education, Inc., 2011. 512-518. Short Story.
for dark, mysterious, and bizarre works of fiction. His works sometimes reflected his life experiences and hardships he tried to overcome. Examples of the troubles in his life include alcoholism, having his works rejected over and over, being broke, and losing his family, even his beloved wife to tuberculosis. There is no wonder why his works are so dark and evil, they were taken from his life. A theme is defined as the major or central idea of a work. Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat”, contains six major themes that are discussed in this paper. They include the home, violence, drugs and alcohol, freedom and confinement, justice and judgement, and transformation.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.
No matter which critical interpretation is used, it is evident that Poe's "The Black Cat" is a unique story that relies on key aspects, such as graphic violence and sensational imagery, to heighten the reader's perception toward the limits and depths of the human mind.