Masque Of Red Death Literary Analysis

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An intrinsic portion of a piece Gothic literature are the dark elements utilized within the story. Gothic elements help differentiate a piece of gothic writing from any other ordinary literature work. The distinctive usages of these gothic elements are effectively illustrated by the following talented authors: Poe, Riggs, Quiroga, and Irving. The short story “Masque of Red Death”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, and the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, written by Ransom Riggs, are two pieces of gothic literature that share the common element of death; although the two stories fluctuate the portrayal of death in their writing. The short story “Masque of Red Death” indicates the miserable effects of a dangerous plague (the Red Death) on a country and its people. While the people are suffering from an illness where “Blood was its Avatar …show more content…

On the contrary, in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the peculiars were forced to come face to face with death because of the many predicaments peculiars faced in their lives. For example, Abe was forced to fight off a hollowgast (commonly known as monsters) in order to ensure the safety of his family and of other peculiars. In the process, Abe becomes severely injured and “His undershirt was soaked with blood, his pants were torn, and one shoe was missing.” (Riggs 35), the exact sight The Prince in the “Masque of Red Death” feared. The Prince lived a luxuriant life with no hindrance in his desires from life besides death while the peculiars were heavily persecuted against and faced danger at every corner. For peculiars, death was freedom from a torturous life while for the Prince, it was the ultimate end of a blissful life. Though the extreme opposite portrayals of death in both stories, they both share the idea