Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death

One may ponder that possessing large amounts of money allows you more privileges in all aspects of life; they may even believe in extension of life during a widespread epidemic. The short story The Masque of the Red Death written by Edgar Allan Poe is a demonstration of how people think and live their lives in the face of death. Prince Prospero invites his friends to live out their long lives and escape the Red Death, a rapidly-spreading deadly disease, by secluding themselves in the safety of a castle. They are presented with subtle hints that their actions would not be justified; these things are fulfilled as the dames of the court try to live peacefully alone. To enhance the allegory of unjust divisions of socioeconomic status in The Masque

The courtiers are invited to the wondrous castle of Prince Prospero for avoidance of the Red Death. It is when these dames enter this magnificent structure that one finds their false importance. The courtiers “brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts” of the castle to try to escape the peasants outside contaminated with the Red Death (Poe 83). The courtiers represent a high-class category of a society. This quote connecting to the courtiers shows that members of a high class are supposedly more worthy of life and protection against the destruction of the Red Death. Secluding themselves in a magnificent castle, the courtiers believed they could escape death and be left with an all-noble society, but they acquire fresh knowledge that one life is equally sufficient to another no matter what their riches allow them. This realization comes when the Stranger secretly enters the fortress. This connects to the allegory of The Masque of the Red Death because Poe illustrates how unjust he believes the process of economic classes are through the thoughtless actions of the barons. The courtiers now comprehend that no one, no matter who they are, can escape the inevitable fate of