Evelyn Hall Ms Crain English 9 March 22 2024 Death is inevitable to escape Death is not something even the wealthiest people can escape. The story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edger Allen Poe, is about a disease that killed half of the population. It's called the Red Death Plague. The prince in the story doesn't try to stop it or save the population, instead his wealthy friends and him throw a masquerade party in the prince's enclosed castle. Soon after that, the red death works its way inside the castle and it takes a turn for the worst. The thesis Death is something the wealthiest people cannot escape and this is shown by symbols throughout the story. He uses the Courtiers, the castle and the hallway. The Masque of the Red Death Has …show more content…
My final symbol that was recognized through what Poe portrays is the hallway. The hallway holds symbols for the story because it represents the journey of life. A quote to support this is, “A tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite” (Poe 2). This quote shows that dying is inevitable and there will always be an end to life. At the end of the hallway there is a black room which Poe has portrayed as the room that symbolizes death. This shows my theme of even the wealthy cannot escape death because the prince knew he was going to die adventually, but he didn't think it would be as soon because of the precautions he had. Even the wealthy cannot escape death, and this is shown through the courtiers, the castle, and the hallway. Poe expresses this very well in this evidence. He really portrays the fear that everyone has from this disease. He uses symbols to let readers know what is going to happen, without telling them what is going to happen. The courtiers show what is going to happen because they are portrayed as these unbreakable things that no one or anything can get