Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poes The Masque of the Red Death - Essay Example

Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death” of various literal writings use variouslanguage techniques to illustrate their arguments. Many stories use symbolism to present information to the reader. It is apparent that symbolic language use in Poe’s story hid the cruelty in the story. Many writers like using symbolism to cover the bitter truth that their story seems to illustrate to the society (Maul). Evidently, when a writer uses a symbolic language in his story, the reader would take his or her time to interpret the deeper meaning, apart from the ordinary meaning of the symbolic words or phrases used in the story. Some people would stop reading a cruel story if the writer does not cover his story using symbolic language. In this essay, I intend to illustrate various instances of symbolism portrayed in Allan’s “The Masque of the Red Death”. A reader of Poe story would ponder about the symbolic language from the time that he or she reads the title of the story. “The Masque of Red Death”, this title illustrate that Poe has used color to symbolize events in his story. In addition, the name used in the title has a symbolic meaning to reader. Since this is the title of the story and the reader is yet to explore the content of the story. He or she will develop great interest in the story in order to know the deeper meaning of the story and the symbols used by the writer of the story. Poe’s story has three distinct instances in which applications of symbolism appear. The main occurrences are name, number, and color. Poe used color to symbolize emotions, attitude, or feelings of the occurrences in the story. For example, in the story the writer talks of black chamber, which symbolizes death. The writer mentions six other chambers which he gives various colors to illustrate various meaning to the story. The description of the seven chambers in the story indicates that the use of color as a symbol illustrates various emotional responses that people would give when responding to various events. Many instances in the story indicated that some color frightened characters in the story. Poe describes the color of windowpanes as red. Red color symbolizes blood, which helps in developing the plot of the story. The red color frightened many characters in the story. The characters tried their best to keep off from the red color because they felt they would bleed to death. It is also important to note that Poe symbolism of color illustrated different moods and meaning to the story. Prince, the chief character in Poe’s story ran through the six chambers at different instances. Notably, each of the six chambers had different colors. This illustrated different moods, which the prince acquired in the story. Human emotions in the story appear to the reader using color. When the prince entered each room, he changed his emotions. It is arguable that in the story, Poe successfully used color to illustrate various stages in life. Red color portrayed a terminal disease, which would eventually lead to the death of the prince as illustrated in the black room. Characters in the story feared red color because they knew it represented a terminal illness that would wipe them from earth. Poe uses number in the story to influence the emotions of the reader. Seven appears as a holy number associated with wonders of the world. Determination of evil in the story is clear as it struggles to destroy the holy number. Probably, the plague of red death occurred in the seventh chamber. In the story, characters are vigilant when it comes to observations of numbers because they knew that each number had a symbolic meaning. As the clock tickled, the characters in the story observed the number that the clock pointed. A change of emotions is evident in their faces in each number that the clock points. At 12 midnight, sad mood engulf the room because red death occurred at this hour. Evidently, life would be good for the characters, as long as the clock hand does not point on a number, which symbolizes death. It is also important to note that human beings uses numbers to count the amount of hours left before they die. In the story, characters use numbers to illustrate the amount of time left before they depart from earth. It is practically difficult to count, when numbers are missing. Poe uses a name of a person to symbolize prosperity in the society. The name Prince Prospero, as used in the story illustrates good tidings. From the beginning of the story, the prince portrays a happy mood. The name suggests good things in the human world. The arrangements that the prince make in his life are typical to what prosperous persons do in life. The use of prince in the story makes the reader to understand the greatness of death over human power. Red death does not spear the prince, even though he had enough wealth to protect himself from death. It probable that Poe intended to indicate to the reader that prosperity in life does not necessary make an individual to escape death or disease. The name masque is symbolic in the story. In normal circumstances, the name masquerade depicts a situation where someone had hid something from the knowledge of the public. In the story, the author successfully uses this technique to hide the impending death that was waiting the prince. The story portrays characters that are hiding from death. Outwardly, they are jubilant, but inwardly, they feel the torment of death. Many instances in the story tend to create a feeling of a carefree life. However, the danger of red death does not provide internal peace in the soul of the characters. Poe uses a clock in the story to symbolize the time that the characters have in this world. The characters took their time to listen to the screams of the clock, which they evidently portrayed by their changing actions. The characters posed their activities in the story, to ponder the meaning of each sound the clock made. Each individual has his or her own time clock, which tend to explain why people die at different instances. Death in the story is inevitable, but it knocked the doors of various individuals at different times. Poe manages to relate the tickling of the clock and the stages in human life. At a time when an individual reaches the black room, the clock produced a sound symbolizing the end of life. It is arguable that as long as the clock is tickling, life is still abundant, but world end when the clock stops. In the story, when the prince died, the clock stopped tickling. Poe sets the mood of the story using the name red death. As the reader tries to ponder the meaning of the term red death, Poe explains in his story how people would treat an individual who becomes a victim of this terminal disease. Largely, the author manages to set a sad mood in the story because the reader is able to cogitate about the impending tragedy in the story. However, the author does not let fear to grip the mood of the reader. He changes the mood of the story by illustrating events in which characters in the story are celebrating. This change of style in the plot makes the story interesting to the reader. Direction used to describe the rooms in the story is quite intriguing. Poe describe the direction by mentioning west and then east, rising and then setting of the sun, movement of human culture among other descriptions in the story. These descriptions seem to suggest that life begins in a specific manner, may different direction depending with human ability, but must finally end. Poe gives a picture of the prince and his servants. The servants lead their lives by serving the prince, but are not able to protect themselves from the reality that comes with death. It is evident that death does not only select the common persons in the society, but also the elite. It is arguable that prince would not die if wealth or greatness in the society were to count. Poe terminates the use of symbolism in his story when a character wearing a mask of corpse arrives. This character arrives towards midnight, paces several rooms, and lastly enters the black room. The arrival of this character marks the end of festivities in the story. This symbolizes doom that comes with death. It is evident that the character terminates the life of the protagonists, bringing the story to finale. When the prince enters the black room, he tries to fight this great character, but the character wins the battle. Later, other people follow the prince in the agony of death. This last bit of the story symbolizes the power that death has over humankind, no matter what an individual would do to escape it. The story would be a tale that scares the reader and children if symbolism would be missing in it. Symbols in the story manipulated the mood of the reader; sometimes a reader would pose to reexamine the content of the statement (Fair). Symbolism create aura of hidden innuendoes and mystery in the story. It is arguable that some phrases in the story would be boring or scary, but the use of symbols gives the reader opportunity to make an in depth examination of events in the story. Poe manages to convince the readers of the story that death is the destiny of all human kind, no matter what path a person takes after birth. The symbols in the story provide inspiring information about how people should handle their lives. It is apparent that Poe acknowledged the presence of red death, which devastated the society by painting various characters to mean various events in human life. Work cited Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" R. Marshall Womack, III. Web 22 Mar 2012 http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/masque/ Maul, Kristina. About Edgar Allan Poe's - "The Masque of Red Death." Munich: GRIN Verlag. 2007 print. Poe, A. Edga. The Masque of the Red Death. North Carolina: Hayes Barton Press. 2007. Symbols and Symbolism in The Mask of the Red Death Web 22 Mar 2012 http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=16928 The Masque of the Red Death. The Literature Network. Web 22 Mar 2012 http://www.online-literature.com/poe/36/ Masque Of The Red Death By Edgar Allan Poe: Symbols. Web 22 Mar 2012 http://essaysdaddy.com/free-essays-db/english-essays/masque-of-the-red-death-by-edgar-allan.html Fair, Verona. Symbolism and Poe. Web 22 Mar 2012 http://veronafair.hubpages.com/hub/Symbolism-and-Poe Read More