Fear In The Masque Of Red Death

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The Impact of Fear
Fear is a feeling that people wish they could escape and not have control their life. However, fear is a valuable asset to life. Fear is what holds us back from going swimming in the ocean at dawn, after hearing about a shark attack. Without fear, there would be nothing to withhold us from irrational acts. Fear can also become overbearing, it can thwart any rational thoughts and cause paranoia to consume all. Through terror, paranoia can overcome rational thoughts and cloud judgment. As portrayed in “The Masque of Red Death,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” without any rationality fear leads to rash acts. Edgar Allen Poe uses symbolism, irony, and imagery to illustrate how fear can influence perceptions of reality, and the repercussions of their acts. …show more content…

In ¨The Tell-Tale Heart,¨ the obsession over the eye slowly drives the narrator to the brink of sanity. “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture----- a pale blue eye, with a film over it,” (74). The eye symbolizes paranoia. The narrator thought the eye followed him around, and it drove him to his breaking point. He becomes so disturbed and obsessed by the eye that he believes the only way to get rid of it would be to kill the old man. After killing the man, the narrator thought his paranoia would go away and he could live an undisturbed life. However, his guiltiness never allows him to feel at

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