Fear in The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe Essay

What is fear? Is it being in a prison so dark a person can not see in front of them? In this complete darkness the narrator finds himself eating and drinking, then passing out on a cold floor. When he wakes he is somewhere else in the dark cell. Or is it a cell? Could it be a tomb? Just when he thinks the cell is so big he finds himself almost falling into a pit. He eats and sleeps again. Where or how will he wake? Does he wake from his drugged food? In this story â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† by Edgar Allan Poe, he tells the terrifying struggle of a man dealing with fear, torture, and confinement. In this complete darkness the main character has no idea where he is. Could it be a tomb, or is he in prison waiting to be hanged?†¦show more content†¦Spain had several beliefs including Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Judaism. Spain wanted to make their country a strong nation, so they chose Catholicism. They drove the Jews, Protestants and other non- believers out of the country. There is no explanation to why he is in prison. He is subjected to thirst and starvation. The narrator states â€Å"death with its direst physical agonies, or death with its most hideous horrors.† (Poe 6.) When the narrator says this, he is saying that death can be torture depending on how you die. He is still very thirsty and very hungry. He has not eaten since he was first thrown into the cell. When he drinks more water, he begins to feel tired again and falls asleep. When he wakes he is bound to a wooden board by a long strap wrapped around his body. His captors offer him food but no water. He is starving and takes the food. Lying on the board he looks on the ceiling and sees FATHER TIME in the form of a machine, specifically a pendulum, which he thinks is swinging back and forth. He then hears a noise. The noises are rats coming from the middle of the pit. â€Å"They were wild, bold, ravenous, their red eyes glaring upon me as if they waited but for motionlessness on my part to make me their prey. To what food, I thought have they been accustomed in the well?† (Poe 11.) They are starving too, they are swarming his food. When he looks to the ceiling he notices the pendulumShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poes Use of Descriptive Language in The Pit and the Pendulum1609 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poes Use of Descriptive Language in The Pit and the Pendulum Edgar Allan Poe has been known for writing stories of mystery and horror. He has composed poems dealing with the occult. He favors those themes and ideas that people shy away from, death, pain, suffering, torture, terror, and fear. His gothic stories burn fright into the hearts of the reader or leave them with a sense of remorse for Poes poor and unfortunate characters. 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