Author’s Craft on “The Masque of the Red Death” People have always tried to avoid death, but they cannot. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” the characters try to avoid the Red Death, but they fail. Every hour when the clock chimes, that is indicating that life is passing by and death is near. People being to die every minute once the Red Death enters. Poe wrote a good story because of the decisions he made in using the author’s craft. In “The Masque of the Red Death” he uses the setting, imagery, and symbolism to create an effective story.
One way the author creates an effective story is through the setting. The Red Death is all over the countryside, and has been for a while. “The “Red Death” had long devastated
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Prince Prospero symbolized man-kind and its unable to do something to deal with death in general. Prince invited citizens “from among the knights and dames of his court” (84). When the Red Death begins to kill most of the people in Prospero’s kingdom, he attempts to use his wealth, noble, respected and care to escape the fate of everyone. Poe points out in this allegory, no man can escape death, because it will find you, that is why man-kind is unable to escape death. In the end, the Red Death has made its way through the company, "and the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay" (88). The Ebony Clock in this story symbolizes the ethics and reminds the people of death, when the clock chimes each hour. The clock chimes each hour and yet even though it shows that death is near, some do not understand. “While the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation” (87). Poe shows that yes some do understand and are afraid. For example, the dizziest going pale, while others are often unaware of what is going on and are