Analysis Of The Pit And The Pendulum

872 Words4 Pages

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe, a short story of the horror genre, and horror is the very thing this piece was meant to provoke. Made in 1842 and set in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, the height of which came about during the 16th century lasting until the early 1800s. In a prison set in Spain, dark and mysterious conditions shape the scene. While non-descript in minute areas, the meticulous attention to detail and the amount of devices and the story 's deeper meaning is what makes it quite an enjoyable read. The story follows our protaginist, whose name is never mentioned, as he is first sentenced to death by a panel of black-robed, pale-faced judges. It was mentioned that these judges were inquisitors, meaning …show more content…

Starting with the setting, since it mainly takes place in one scene, it can largely expand on the senses of where our protaginist is part of. The setting and how detailed and descriptive the author made it, really puts an image in the head. With our main character, there 's no much to say, the details of who he is, is never explored. Even his name is kept a mystery. He is obviously a pratical thinker and problem-solver, but, however, the omission of such details of why he was sentenced to death and what did he do to deserve that. Not knowing the wrongdoing of this character can really shift the feeling, whether his death was deserved or not. Along with the plot, while fairly simple and easy to follow, the historical aspects of the story, could be inaccurate to the time it 's meant to be set in, which might unsettle with a group of people. Then with the theme, the theme really makes it cherishable, there was no holding back of the psychological terrors that were bestowed upon this character, though there was no death or gore the possibilties of what could have happened begin to arise. The first person view really was the best decision, because with that an author can really make the reader go into the mind of the protagonist, and develop attachments or emotion toward that character. Lastly, there is the literary style. The style of the story is clearly imagintive and with the use of metaphors and similes and descriptive imagery, it gets the mind