Comparing The Masque Of The Red Death And The Black Cat

Every now and then, people may read a book that keep them on the edge of their seat and filling them with suspense. Gothic horror literature does a great job of doing just that. The Black Cat is about a man that hates just about everything, but for some reason, a black cat that the more he hates, likes him even more. This drives him so insane that he kills the cat. The Masque of the Red Death is a story about a figure called the “Red Death”. The Red Death is taking over all over, and a group of people all isolated themselves to get away from it, but they will find they can not escape it. In the two stories, “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Black Cat”, are examples of gothic literature including a mysterious setting, mystery and suspense,

characters with unusual psychological states, and dark, evil tones.
The story, “The Black Cat” express’s many examples of Gothic Horror.

In “The Black Cat”, the narrator is trying to think of ways to dispose of his wife's dead body, and expresses some dark thoughts. The narrator speculates, “At one point I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments, and destroying them by fire” (Poe 20). The narrator is thinking about trying to cut the body up and burn it to get rid of it, which is explained in such an evil and mysterious tone. “The Black Cat” also shows characters have unusual psychological states as well. Before the narrator thought of burning the body, the narrator was brainstorming ways of disposing his wife's dead body. The Narrator was thinking, “This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house, either by day or night, without the risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects entered my mind” (Poe 20). The narrator obviously has an unusual psychological state if he murdered his wife, but thinking of ways to dispose of the body shows that even more. In conclusion, characters in “The Black Cat” have an unusual psychological state, and express evil, dark, mysterious

tones.
The story, “Masque of the Red Death” also expresses many examples of Gothic Horror.

In “The Masque of the Red Death” The narrator is describing the layout of the house that the party is being held in. The narrator describes the clock in the house as, “It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a giant clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a heavy, monotonous clang” (Poe 2). The description of the clock makes the house description seem more eerie and large, almost castle like. “The Masque of the Red Death” also shows the feeling of mystery and suspense. Prince Prospero is entering the sixth room in the house which is likely to have the red death in it, and no one is following him as he enters. “It was then, however that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all” (Poe 6). Since no one followed him into the room and he was walking slowly, it created mystery and suspense leaving the reader to wonder what's in the room while reading. Overall, “The Masque of the Red Death” has an eerie setting and the feeling of mystery of suspense, making it gothic

literature.
“The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Black Cat” are both great examples of gothic literature, including a mysterious setting, mystery and suspense, characters with unusual psychological states, and dark, evil tones. “The Black Cat” expresses dark, evil tones, and characters with unusual psychological states because of how the narrator acts, and describes what he is doing. “The Masque of the Red Death” expresses a mysterious setting and suspense because of how the setting is described with the clock, and at the end where the “Red Death” finds the narrator. These two stories are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to keep reading.